Down the Fyulong Hole
by iDevalu
Summary: Teito Klein, average teen, learns that following a pink rabbit with wings down an unknown crevice might not have been such a good idea...
1. Story Time

**Hello! Dev here with a new story idea. I've always been a fan of Wonderland so I had a crazy idea of mixing it with o7-Ghost. It's going pretty good so far. I've got so many ideas for this, I'm actually pretty excited! **

**Well, to warn, the characters (o7-Ghost and Alice alike) might be a bit ooc, depending on what character I paired them up with. **

**The world is called Wonderland, because I couldn't think up of anything witty and clever. Hope you guys enjoy!**

**I do not own any of the characters etc, etc.**

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A tiny pink earthworm struggled through the high grass as it tried to escape slender fingers that wanted nothing more than a new form of entertainment.

"And so she awoke, back in her world, the fantasy of Wonderland nothing more than her imagination." Fea Kruez, a handsome gentleman with tidy brown hair and soft brown eyes, looked over the edge of his book to see his son, his adoptive son, paying more attention to something slinking through the ground than to his story. He cleared his throat, placing his book on his lap, eyes kept on the child. But moments passed and the child didn't stir; Kruez furrowed his brows together. With a swift flick of his wrist, Fea Kruez dropped his novel onto the boy's back, finally startling him and gaining his attention in the process.

"Child, if you are not going to pay attention, why do I bother to even read to you?"

"You pick strange stories to tell me, fairy tales of all things, really Father? I'm fifteen, I don't believe in fantasy."

Teito Klein, a boy with a mindset darker than the average teen, picked up the worm and placed it amongst the tallest patch of grass he could find, hoping that this time, the worm could not escape. His dark chocolate hair was ruffled by his father, a chuckle emerging from the older man's throat.

"Whether you believe or not, it is always a nice thing to read. You never know, it might come in handy."

Suspicious, the green eyed teen turned to his father, there was a twinkle in those all knowing eyes.

Kruez reached out and retrieved his book. With a groan, he stood to his feet, dusting off his dark blue slacks, his young body sore for some reason. His sights fled to the boy on the ground, who now sat up with a pouting face, emerald eyes sparkling in the dimming solar light.

"Teito, open your mind a little." As Kruez spoke, he stowed his book into the inner pockets of his matching blue coat. "A boy your age still deserves the innocence of imagination. Remember, dinner at the main house. Don't be late."

"Sure," Teito turned back to the grass, looking for his lost worm.

"Teito."

The green eyed russet turned back to his father.

"I love you, Teito Klein."

Before the teen could retaliate against, the older russet reached down and placed a kiss on the teen's mop of hair. The father ruffled his son's hair one final time before turning toward the garden path that lead to the Victorian style house off in the clearing.

With a blush on his cheeks, Teito rubbed his head, mumbling about being treated like a child. Giving up on his old pass time of worm torture, the teen laid on the ground, eyes out into the orange sky.

Though his father didn't know, Teito had paid attention to the story. Normal girl goes through many trials and in the end, she changes into a better person. Typical story, boring if anything. Why tell him the story in the first place? Before, the father would read from history books, science books not fiction. He wondered what had changed his adoptive father's mind.

Something told the teen that his father was right; he did need to act more like a child. Kruez had found him on the street, a reckless boy who stole for his next meal. Growing up like that, of course Teito saw the world a bit darker than most but not that he could do anything about it. It was part of him. To change now, it was like asking one person to change the world. He closed his eyes, too tired for meaningless thoughts.

As dusk settled, the sun's fingers desperately tried to cling onto the ground as it fell over the horizon. Teito gave a yawn, eyes fluttering open as a stray ray flashed over closed lids, wondering how long he had been out since his father had gone back to the house. He sat up and looked about, everything seemed darker than it had moments ago.

He remained seated however; eyes squinted towards the shrubbery maze. A flicker of pink shot past his line of vision, something that defiantly should not have been there. The teen reassured himself that he was imagining things, the story his father had told was affecting him.

Teito shook his head, running both hands over his weary eyes. He was tired and hungry, that usually affected the mind.

"_Burupya_!"

Though he would never admit it later, Teito jumped away from the sound, startled beyond reason. His hand flew over his pounding heart, eyes not believing what sat at his feet.

"Wh-what?"

A pink rabbit, the approximate size of a soccer ball, looked up at him with big cherry eyes. Feathery wings were attached on its fuzzy back. Adorable would have been one word for the abnormal rabbit, strange was the word Teito was using.

"_Burupya_!" The bunny jumped onto Teito's chest, pawing at his startled face.

"What is '_burr-up-yah_'?" Teito asked, finally regaining his voice.

The rabbit bit down on the red ribbon Teito had worn around his neck, untying it by pulling and soon took off towards the shrubbery maze.

Teito's hand flew to his neck, where his tie once was. His father had given him that, when he bought Teito his first set of clothing. Feeling a stab to his chest, the teen stood to his feet, and without a second thought, ran after the pink oddity, stealing one last look of the Kruez Manor before disappearing into the darken labyrinth.

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**And so, it begins :)**


	2. Rabbit Chase

**Second Chapter!**

**(Why can't I update this like my other story? -sigh-)**

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Teito pushed his aching muscles to the point of breaking. All his focus was on wondering how he would torture the small critter into showing it how much trouble it had put him through. Teito had no choice; he stopped abruptly, hands on his knees as he tried his best to breathe through closing lungs. Sweat caused his russet hair to cling to his face, the black frock coat felt all too heavy on his shoulders. His muscles shook with fatigue; no matter how many breaths he took, it felt as if he was drowning on the heavy air he took in.

The pink rabbit had stopped, opened its mouth and spoke: _Burupya~_ once more before disappearing around the corner but not before picking up the fallen ribbon it had stolen. Cursing under his breath, the russet took off once more, his hand tight on the piece of garment over his heart. He pounded around the corner to find himself alone within a long, uncurling path towards a giant swaying willow tree. Emerald eyes darted left and right, his hand pressed against the outer wall of the maze; it was too thick to pass through without making a mark, even for the pink rabbit. His sights fled back to the Willow tree. Should he follow the rabbit? Somehow, Teito considered it a fun challenge. And there was always the possibility that his father had found the strange creature and was testing him. And if all else failed, he needed to collect his ribbon.

The russet claimed a big breath and pushed himself forward, eyes darting to any little sound about him. The sun was fading fast; shadows around him began to grow in width and height. A shiver ran through him though he still felt hot from his sprint through the maze.

"Burr-oup-ah?" Teito called out, scanning the ground for any signs of the pink ball of fluff.

"_Burupya!_"

Green eyes darted towards the Willow tree. The sound had an odd echo to it; Teito could only begin to wonder if the small creature had snuck its way into the tree. But for it to sound so hallow? Teito let out a breath he did not realize he was holding. He approached the tree wearily, stopping at its roots to peer into a gash that marked the golden brown bark with a marring black.

"Hello?"

His voice bounded back to him, a million Teitos answered in reply. He gulped, slowly sticking his head within the tree. The tree smelled like sweet sap and dirt, like any other tree around but as Teito's emerald gaze looked down, it showed that this was no ordinary tree. Though dark inside, a small ball of light burned at, what Teito hoped, was the bottom. He wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him, making it appear that the drop was far. But before Teito could perform an experiment to prove his hypothesis correct, soft honey-brown eyes appeared before him suddenly, a boy no older than his age was hovering within the tree's empty trunk. His face was warm and soft, lines straightening to show his departure from boyhood to adulthood. A thin 'X' shaped scar on his cheek spoiled his otherwise clear complexion. His golden blond hair whipped off to the side, as if his hand always ran through that one specific spot, causing the hairs to grow up sideways. Teito blinked, unsure of what he saw.

"We're late, Young Master! The King hates it when I'm late!" With a laugh, the stranger took hold of Teito's wrists, pulling him into the tree without asking for permission.

Immediately, the sense of free falling flooded every sense in Teito. Wind whipped through his every pore, an exhilarating yet startling feeling. Teito tried to flap his arms uselessly, the small orange light soon growing bigger and bigger. Water welled up in his eyes as he stared down to his immediate demise. He began to regret so many things, most of all, never telling his father how he truly felt about him.

"I don't want to die!" Teito yelled. He forced his eyes closed so he wouldn't have to see the ground when it came at a rapid speed.

"Die?" A voice beside him began to laugh. "You're not going to die, Young Master. We're just falling! Isn't it a great feeling?"

Startled, Teito looked beside him to find the blond male, arms and legs outstretched, looking utterly peaceful as the wind whipped his hair and clothes.

"But what happens when we hit the ground?!"

Honey eyes turned to him; they looked so sincere, as if Teito was looking into the eyes of a long lost friend.

"We arrive. In Wonderland."

- - -

A bee inside Teito's scull would not allow him to sleep peacefully. He pried open his weary eyes, too tired to do much of anything else. The soft smell of grass and dirt filled his exhausted senses, eyes turned towards the sky; it was dark and glittered with stars. He had fallen asleep, how typical. His father would really be mad when he arrived at the manor and had missed dinner. 'But,' Teito thought, 'if I tell him about my dream, maybe he won't be so mad.' The plan seemed passable; he moved to sit up, wondering why he was feeling so sore when all he had done was sleep on the ground. He was not that old for something as a hard bed to make him uncomfortable.

As he sat up, the teen ran a shaky hand through his floppy brown hair. A yawn escaped him before he could do much of anything, eyes still half open. The sound of rustling at his side caught his attention. For a moment, he believed it to be his father but instead, cherry eyes looked up at him, almost worried.

"_Burupya?_" the small creature tilted its head off to one side, Teito's tie at its feet.

"Please tell me," Teito forced down a lump in his throat, "that I'm dreaming."

"No dream, Young Master Teito Klein!"

Green eyes darted from the pink puff before him towards the voice. Smiling eyes greeted him as a grin spread across the strangers face, the 'X' on his cheek diminishing in size slightly. Now that Teito had time to process things, he noticed that the young man was dressed in something similar to his outfit though unlike in colors. A deep red frock coat, with a white shirt, matching deep red slacks and brown knee high boots. The addition that Teito did not have was a silver chain emerged from within the male's coat only to disappear within the boy's right outer pocket.

"Who are you?" The russet asked after finally regaining his voice.

"The name is Mikage, Young Master! That little guy there, he's Mikage too! You can call him Burupya though. That's all he can say."

"You mean the pink rabbit?" Teito's eyes shifted to the pink oddity that found his untied shoelace a fun object to play with.

"No rabbit. Fy-u-long!"

"_You're late, you're late!"_

Teito looked about for the new voice, nothing but trees were among his line of vision. "What was that?" He asked as he began to force himself to his feet.

"Drat. I was hoping to get to know you, Young Master. But I'm needed back at the Castle."

"Castle?" Teito turned back to the blond, Mikage, and saw the boy fiddling with a clock that was attached to the silver chain. It was larger than average, startling Teito, larger than the boy's hand. Only for a moment, he had thought that Mikage would soon turn out to be a normal teen, like himself, but pulling out a watch that obviously had no numbers of any sort and only one hand, that either pointed to 'Late' or 'Not Late', it was certainly something that no ordinary boy should have.

"Yes, Red Castle. You should visit! I'm sure the Red King wouldn't mind a newcomer."

"_I told you already, you're late! Want me to say it again?"_

Only then did Teito realize the voice was coming from the clock itself.

"One last thing, Teito Klein." A dark cloud hazed over those honey-brown eyes, causing the teen to become all too weary of the place. He took a step back, not liking the dark glint in Mikage's eyes.

Before Teito could even think of defending himself, he was knocked to the ground, his throat crushed beneath a cold, metal plate. As quickly as it happened, it ended. Emerald eyes opened to find Mikage, back in place as if nothing had occurred, a smile on his face.

"Come Burupya," he called to his pink friend, "we are needed in the castle." With the swiftness of no ordinary animal, the small critter landed peacefully on the blond's shoulder, smiling towards the startled teen. He cried out his own name and waved a furry paw before Mikage turned and disappeared into the incoming fog.

Teito's hand immediately flew over his throat; he grazed cold metal against his slender fingers. A collar. Teito forced down something that stuck to his throat. A feeling, just a feeling, told him that the collar was something bad, something that would keep him here long after his time.

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**Mikage sounds really hyper...**

**lawl**

**xD**

**Review??**

**:3**


	3. Teacup Confessions

**Can't describe clothing all too well so for those lost, they are dressed in old-school attire :)**

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Teito cursed out into the quiet night, vomiting every foul word his father would never let him use under any circumstance, but Teito found that in his current situation, this did not apply. He was lost, stupidly lost and he could only begin to explain how stupid he felt. He battled against greenery as he tried to forge his own path through the dense forest. His first idea after Mikage left was that he could _try_ to climb up the way he came but that idea was quickly thrown aside.

Teito had found himself in the middle of nothing. In the middle of a clearing that wherever he turned, the same scene presented itself. He had turned in place too many times that soon he could no longer differentiate in which way Mikage had taken off to. His face was still red at the embarrassment he felt for so _stupidly_ losing his way. Teito spat out another curse.

His stomach soon voiced its opinion after what felt like hours of wandering. The teen cradled his upset tummy, patting it gently. His only hope was to either find civilization, or a fruit bearing tree but everything around him seemed so foreign that he did not dare put anything in his mouth.

Maybe it was due to his starving stomach, or his late instincts of foraging through the streets had finally turned on, that the sweet smell of baking goods had drifted his way. His mouth watered in anticipation, his stomach growled to hurry its master. Teito closed his eyes and soon used his nose to follow the scent. It was a buttery smell, mixed in with the light tinge of lemon, cinnamon and other delicious assortments. How he could smell all of this as if it was right under his nose, he did not know but was glad for it.

As he broke through the undergrowth, a small dirt path winded through the trees and over a hill. No longer in control of himself, the teen ran the path, following it exactly rather than running straight. It curved in and out of the forest, around rocks and trees. If he stepped off the path, he would surly be lost; it was an odd thought but this place was odd.

With his body shaking from fatigue and hunger, Teito finally reached the cliff's top. As he gazed down into the clearing, he began to rethink his idea of going for food but if he even wanted to play with the idea of leaving this strange land, he needed his strength. So Teito walked down the path towards an uneven white picket fence that encircled nothing but a large dining table. Even from feet away, Teito noticed that the table was spilling with food. All assortments of chairs, different in sizes and colors and shapes, lined the outline of the table. Teito realized all the chairs were empty but two, the one at the far end, and the other to its right. The russet stopped at the gate's entrance, feeling foolish but knocked on the wood anyway.

"Yo, bunny, how bout spiking up this tea for me, eeeeeeeh?"

"Stop calling me bunny, idiot. Spike your own tea; I am not your maid."

"Well that was rude of you. Capella!"

"Y-yes, onii-sama?"

"Fillerup."

Teito leaned off to one side, feet firmly planted on the road. He craned his neck to look around a large, heart-shaped chair that might have been blocking him from view.

"Um, H-hello?" Teito voiced loud enough to be heard.

The figure at the end of the table leaned off to one side as well, catching sight of the russet teen. Startled to see a new figure within his grounds, the man took a larger sip than what he hand intended, burning his tongue in the process. He spat it out instantly, the remaining liquid in his cup spilled off to one side as he shifted too quickly in his chair, landing steaming on his lap. He cursed loudly, forcing himself to stand quickly before the liquid could burn all the way through his clothing, only to trip on himself and fall down with the chair. He twitched; his head had hit the ground instead of the softer chair, which he was now sprawled awkwardly over.

With a sigh, the other figure stood, walking calmly towards the gate entrance. He stood tall, proud, dressed in a white button-down shirt with a blue vest; a deep blue scarf draped over his broad shoulders. Dark blue slacks fit loosely on his lower body, belts of all assortments were placed freely on his hips. On his feet was a deeper blue set of shin-high strapped boots, where his slacks were stuffed. Glasses hid the true color of his eyes, though the teen could see it was some kind of brown. His rusty-brown hair was neat and clean, two rabbit ears, chocolate in color, emerged from the top of his head. The teen could not help but stare at the ears.

"Hello, young one. Welcome to the Mad Tea Party."

As soon as the man had said it, the one that fell soon jumped onto the table. As tall as he was, it took him no more than three strides to reach the two at the picket fence. He was built much thicker than the rusty-haired rabbit, face more menacing than anything the teen had seen before. His eyes were a deep sea blue, intimidating as well as intriguing. His sunshine blond hair was almost completely covered by a black top hat he wore on his head, a card reading: 6/7 was tucked neatly between three roses on its brim. He wore a neat black frock coat over a startling white shirt. On his neck, a black tie-scarf was laced around, tucking in gently under a gray vest he wore over the shirt; matching black breeches that were stuffed into knee high boots and white gloves finished his look.

"No room! There is no room for the brat!" The man barked.

"Who are you calling a brat?!" Teito yelled before he knew it.

The white gate stood between the two who seemed ready to fight it out. Teito had to strain his neck to look up to the blond but he did not dare back down now.

"Frau-chan," the hare began but was soon cut off by a menacing glare from the other.

"You," he accentuated the word, "are supposed to be the one shooing these damn critters away. The brat made me bleed!" With a flick of the arm, the blond soon held his top hat, revealing his soft blond hair to be smeared with dark, thick liquid near the back of his head.

With a chuckle, the rusty-haired hare turned to Teito. "Ignore him, young one; he's all bark and no bite. Actually, he's quite cuddly if you get him drunk enough."

"I'll show you cuddly, stupid bunny. Kid can't come in; we're already one over our brat limit."

They both turned to the small boy who could be seen scurrying behind the many chairs. He looked almost strikingly similar to the taller blond, only the child's face was kind and chubby. The small boy soon began to speak to an overly large tea kettle that sat in between the two men's chairs.

"You know, Frau-chan, your attitude is starting to become a serious problem."

"Will you stop calling me 'Frau-chan' already?!"

The two soon began to bicker; the hare tried to stretch himself to look taller than the other but was failing to succeed.

Teito's attention rapidly fled to the table, the smell drifting from it near intoxicating. He was surprised to see that the blond had not trampled over the baked goods. His eyes wandered towards the boy, he could faintly remember the taller blond name someone Capella, and perhaps that was the little boy. Teito watched as the boy continued to speak to the kettle, his head disappearing inside before coming out dripping wet, a smile on his face.

The gate before Teito slammed shut; his attention drew back to the situation before him. The rusty russet opened the gate only to have the blond slam it shut. They continued this, their eyes never straying from the glare they gave each other.

Teito's stomach growled; embarrassed by the sound, Teito coughed to cover it up, his sight finding a flower to stare at in hopes to distract himself from the new attention he captured.

"Ah, ha! Told you he wasn't military."

"He's probably fakin' it," the blond eyed suspiciously.

"You know they can't do that."

"Hm? Castor…"

Curious, Teito looked up to find both sets of eyes on him intently. He took a step back, feeling the need to run but the smell of food kept him pinned.

The blond reached over the gate, took a fist full of Teito's coat and, with his free hand, ripped off the ribbon that wrapped around Teito's neck.

The teen held onto the stronger man's wrist, his hands unable to wrap around it. Soon, the hand released him, causing Teito to stumble to the ground. Infuriated, Teito's green glare went up to the man, who looked down at him in shocked silence, the teen's ribbon in hand.

"Give that back!" Teito yelled as he remained seated on the ground, his back too sore to force himself up just yet.

"He's –."

"God, you are slow." The rusty haired rabbit threw open the gate, hitting the blond on his unprotected shin. "Young one, we have much to discuss."

- - -

Teito was lead to the seat across from the rusty russet, at the left of the fuming blond. His eyes gazed out to the pastries spread about him, all thought lost for a moment. There was chocolate cakes, milk cakes, ice cream cakes, cheesecakes, strawberry, blueberry, banana, any other kind of fruit imaginable. Pancakes, cupcakes, and even potcakes. (A/N: get it? Get it? Pan, cup, pot?? …I lol'ed)

"Please, eat."

A slice of chocolate cake was pushed toward Teito, a big juicy strawberry lay elegantly beside it, dipped with a bright red sauce. With tears welling in his eyes, the teen looked up to the glasses wearing stranger and thanked him. In no time at all, the cake was gone. Teito took the liberty of taking another piece as soon as it was offered.

"Have some tea to accompany your pastries."

"I don't like tea," Teito mumbled between chews.

"No wonder you're so short." Teito titled his head to glare at the blond, who finally spoke. "I've been drinking tea all my life and look at me!" The blond patted his chest proudly, knowing full well what he hid under the gentleman's coat.

"Yes," the bunny-eared man spoke into his cup of tea, "but I ask you to refrain from spiking your drink, or you'll end up with his brain too." Easily ignoring the glare from the blond, he continued, "So, what is your name?"

Teito turned back to the other, his fluffy brown ears capturing his attention once more. "I'm Teito, Teito Klein."

"Pleasure, Teito-kun," the hare pushed a cup of tea his way. "I am Castor March, also known as the March Hare. And this…" Castor signaled to the other.

"Frau, or Frau Hatter, or the Mad Hatter; whatever floats your boat. They really need to stop addressing me by so many names," he turned to his companion.

"It's amusing to watch you struggle," the March Hare spoke into his tea.

"You know what's more amusing?" The Hatter grinned, placing an elbow on the white cloth of the table, leaning towards the Hare. "When I tied your ears together."

Castor's eyes immediately darkened, his hand tightly gripped a butter knife he was planning on using as a weapon.

"Try that again," the rusty brunet spoke harshly, "and this time I'll make sure you never come back."

"Ouu, scary." Frau leaned off the table, deciding to relax into his chair instead. He sipped from his tea.

"Who are you people? Where am I?" Once Teito's stomach was full, his mind cleared, finally making him realize the situation he was in.

Both males turned to him, eyeing him carefully. Castor turned his eyes toward his companion, taking him by collar of his coat and tugged the larger body toward him. He whispered to Frau, who nodded in reply. The young boy Capella hid behind the large tea kettle, eyes darting between the two males.

"Um, Teito-kun," Castor began, "how exactly did you…get here?" The Hare leaned forward, placing both elbows on the table while he hid half of his face behind intertwined fingers.

"W-well," Teito's nervous emerald gaze shifted between the two males, landing briefly on Capella and quickly back to Castor. "I followed this pink…rabbit."

"Fyulong," Frau corrected.

"It looked like a rabbit," Teito protested, eyes shifted to the blond.

"The rabbit had wings, fyulong."

"Rabbit."

"Fyulong."

"Rabbit."

"I'm telling you, brat, fyulong."

"And I'm telling you–!"

"Teito-kun! Ignore him; please; just, just answer my question, yes?" Castor asked almost desperately, the sudden urge to stab Frau with the butter knife increasing.

"Well, I followed the pink…whatever it was into the shrubbery maze that was located on my father's estate."

"Who is your father?" Castor tilted his head off to the side.

"Um, he isn't really my father, my adoptive father actually…um, his name is Fea Kruez. He's the local doctor."

"Okay, so you followed the fyulong into the maze…?"

Teito reached out to the tea cup that was presented to him. He brought it to his lips, sniffed at it once, and then took a sip. It tasted like cinnamon. "Well, I followed the…_fyulong_ into the maze and into this willow tree. It was hollow inside and when I stuck my head in, there was a boy inside. He pulled me in and next thing I knew, I woke up in the middle of nowhere. That boy, Mikage, he put this thing around my neck, which reminds me, I want my tie back." He turned to glare at Frau.

The blond grinned, lifting the ribbon up for the teen to see. The entire time since he took it, he couldn't stop playing with it. The material was silky; he liked the feel of it.

"Mikage…he's…"

Frau turned to Castor but not before stowing away the red ribbon into his coat pocket. "He's the King of Hearts' lackey."

"No he isn't." The Hare turned to the blond. "What makes you say that?"

"For one thing," The Hatter pointed at Teito, "the collar around his neck. He's in this now; anyone on the White Side would never forcefully put it on an outsider."

"But Mikage…"

"Maybe the brat was forced into it, only after the Red Side grew stronger did the kid start acting strange…_er_."

Teito watched the conversation bounce back and forth, slightly irritated at the fact that he was not being involved. He was the one with the thing around his neck. He was the one that shouldn't be here. He was the one that wanted to go home or at least wake up from the nightmare. He decided to take another cake and continued to drink from the tea cup that never seemed to dry up.

"Psst. Onii-chan?"

Startled, Teito looked beside him. The boy, Capella, looked up at him with sparkling blue eyes, filled with the things that made a child just that, a child. Wonder, amazement, curiosity and the need to explore. Teito smiled solemnly, his father would have loved a child like this, one that acted as such.

"You're Capella, right?"

The tiny blond nodded. "I wanna show you something, Onii-chan." He tiptoed around Frau's throne of a chair and towards the giant kettle, waving Teito to follow. Stealing the strawberry off a nearby cake, Teito left his seat and followed, noticing the two older men were still discussing something, obviously in their own world.

"What is it, Capella?"

The boy pointed into the kettle. Shrugging, Teito peered into the dark depths. No light seemed to penetrate the thick metal outline, making it difficult to see anything at all. He dipped his face in deeper, needing to stand on his toes for a better reach, then the water below him rippled. Before he could run, a pair of webbed hands reached out to him and cupped his face, his own face smiled back at him. He gave a surprised yelp, tripping as he tried to get away. As he rubbed his sore back, he looked up to see a new face looking down at him.

Gorgeous, glittering soft violet eyes seemed to smile as they watched the surprised teen. The creature's hair was long and a bright cherry color, which complimented her fair skin. What looked like soft blue-violet fur covered her torso; at every odd place, Teito could distinguish the appearance of scales on her seemingly human skin. Finally, two elongated fin-looking ears peeked out from under her hair, matching perfectly with her aquatic appearance.

"Oh my," Castor turned at the sudden yell, "it looks like you took the liberty of meeting my little Razette." The hare reached over and petted the young looking girl, who gave a supple sound in response, it sounded like the soft melody of a music box. "She is a Teacup Mermaid. Poor thing can't speak but she can certainly sing. I'm sure you've already seen what she is capable of, being able to change her appearance."

"Razette," Teito spoke quietly, eyes kept on the mermaid.

The girl sang lovingly in reply, reaching out a webbed hand toward Teito. The teen stood to his feet and placed his hand on the mermaids. She tugged him forward, placing a kiss on his cheek which immediately caused him to turn red.

"Ha, ha; now, now Razette, you do not want me to get jealous, do you?"

Razette smiled at Teito and released his hand. Soon she turned to Castor, leaned over the rim of the kettle, arms supporting her, and kissed the Hare on the cheek. As she did so, Teito noticed the fish-like tail of her lower half. It was the same soft lilac of her eyes, glittering red, green and blue in sunlight. Teito blinked, eyes turned toward the sky. The sun shown over the horizon, gaining altitude slowly. Had he stayed awake the entire night?

"Get a room, you two," Frau huffed as he pulled out a cigarette from deep within his inner coat pockets.

"Teito-kun, I'm sorry about ignoring you before but now we definitely have something that needs discussing."

Teito turned to Castor and nodded, finding his way back to his chair. His sight fled to Razette and Capella, who sucked happily on sweets Castor had presented them.

"If you want some, just ask Castor," Frau muttered. A spark came from his gloved hand and soon his cigarette was lit.

"I'm too old for sweets," Teito immediately replied, though the licked-clean plates about him told differently. Red in the face, Teito pushed the plates aside.

Frau gave a hearty chuckle, letting out a grey cloud of smoke. Teito watched in amazement as the outlines of tiny birds emerged from the smoke, disappearing as the wind blew them away.

"Teito-kun," Castor caught the teens attention and presented him with a lollipop. After many refusals, the teen finally gave in, earning a smirk from Frau; Castor continued. "I wish this wasn't so, but it seems you have been forced into a game, here, in Wonderland."

"A game?" His dreams were certainly turning into something elaborate.

"Yes, a game that hasn't been won in ages."

"And…I have to play?"

"Yes, the collar bound on your neck requires it to be so. You can't refuse it."

"How do…I play the game?"

"There are 7 beings known as the 07-Ghosts. You must locate each of these 7 beings and they will give you, if they deem you worthy, an item that is to be used to 'win the game'. Four will award you an Ace from the Deck – Ace of Hearts, Ace of Spades, Ace of Clovers, and Ace of Diamonds. Another will present to you the Key of Truth; one more will present to you the Stone of Power and the last Ghost will award you the map which leads to the Crypt of the Clock. Once all these are collected, you must fight one last battle with the Clock Keeper, Verloren. If you win, young Teito Klein can return to his time and home."

"And if I lose?"

A shadow passed over Castor's eyes, his glasses accentuating the transition. "…Best not to think of it."

"How can I find these…'07-Ghosts'?" Teito shifted uncomfortably in his seat; this **was** too elaborate to be thought up by himself. Did he really fall down the willow tree and end up in…Wonderland?

"You never find them, they find you. They know you are here, young one, they were informed of your presence as soon as the collar was placed upon your neck. Some will present themselves to you; give you a task before handing over their possession. Others will wait so you can prove yourself in battle, to prove the color of your heart."

"But how can I prove myself to them if I don't know who they are to begin with?" Fear began to creep its way into Teito's consciousness.

"You will find, Teito-kun, that the Card Soldiers, better known as Kor, are attracted to you. They are cold beasts that feed off the souls of anyone and anything. Their sole mission is to make sure the outsider looses. Stay in one place too long, and they will appear. You can only hope that when you must fight, one of the Ghosts is nearby. Do not judge on outward appearance, young one, anyone, anything can be one of the 07-Ghosts…such as myself." Castor March pulled a thin silver prism from deep within his coat. He held out his hand towards Teito, who looked, almost in awe, at the glittering piece.

Hesitantly, Teito took the card into his hand, the symbol of Spade engraved black into the thin material. It felt light in his hands, though a heavy burden on his chest. He pulled out a handkerchief from his coat, wrapping his new found prize within before stowing it away in a secure pocket inside his frock.

"Thank you, March-san."

"Please, call me Castor. I have helped you begin; Frau Hatter will assist you in the rest of your journey."

"I'll what?" Frau turned, startled, to Castor.

"You will help Teito, Frau-chan. After all, it is your role." The two glared daggers at each other, though Castor appeared calmer than Frau.

"Damn wild rabbit." Frau broke the stare, turning to take a deep breath from his cigarette, now than ever needing his nicotine fix.

"Go to the Mushroom Forest." The Hare turned to Teito.

"Will I find a Ghost there?" The feel of the cold rectangle in his pocket made everything real to him. He really needed to play this game in order to go home.

There was a mischievous glint in the Hare's dark eyes, a small smile tugging on his lips. "Possibly."

"But…won't you join us, Castor-san?" Teito held tightly to the lollipop he momentarily placed on the table.

"I'm sorry, Teito-kun, it is not my role. And besides, Razette cannot travel on land for long, she needs me…" He turned sympathetically towards both Razette and Teito.

"Of course," Teito found his voice after some time.

"I'll leave Capella with you then, March." Frau blew out another cloud of smoke; this time, fishes emerged from the cloud.

"Certainly. Please, do not forget to write."

Frau pushed his chair back, stretching his sore muscles as he stood. With a roll of his neck, bones cracked in place. He turned his stare towards the small teen at his left.

"Well? Let's move."

"N-now?" Teito looked from Frau to Castor. "B-but there's still a lot of stuff I do not understand! Like how anything works in this place! I…I still think I might just be dreaming all of this."

"Maybe you are," Castor began.

"Or maybe you're not. Never take chances when your life is on the line, kid. And we need to leave now; it's easier to travel by day. I'm sure the Red King knows about you by now, I'll explain all I can on our way to the Mushroom Forest."

"So we're just leaving? Like that?"

"That's how we do things in Wonderland, kid. Don't worry," a superior smirk crossed the Hatter's hard features, "I'll protect you."

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:)


	4. Shroom Visions

**New chapter, so soon?**

**Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~**

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**  
**

"We're lost! Just admit it!"

"I think I would know if I'm lost, damn brat!"

The Hatter pushed aside a large hanging vine, cursing under his breath as the scene remained the same no matter how far they walked. In Wonderland, one false step and you found yourself lost for god-knows how long.

"Can't we just go back to the dirt path?" Teito struggled to say as he fought with the greenery. He found it strange that it seemed to wrap around his ankles, as if trying to trip him. "I don't like these plants. They keep –!"

A loud rustling and strangle cry replaced Teito's unfinished sentence. Frau turned, startled, to catch sight of Teito's arm desperately trying to dig into the dirt below, the rest of his body disappeared into the dense foliage beside him. He reached down and took the boy's wrist, pulling harshly until Teito's dirt smeared face appeared. Teito forced down deep breaths; his chest was crushed by the plants, not allowing him the ability to breathe normally. He fought to free his other arm, the one that Frau had been pulling on seemed ready to pop out of his shoulder.

"Damn it, brat! Stop trying to get yourself killed!" Frau grunted. He reached to take a fist full of Teito's coat and pulled him out with one final jerk. Still holding him by the scruff of the coat, he placed the teen to sit on his outstretched forearm, holding him against his own body. Startled by his sudden placement, Teito took hold of the Hatter's coat collar, not wanting to fall off from the height he was now at.

"P-put me down!"

"No wonder we got lost, and try not to scream in my ear, brat." Frau continued to walk forward, the weight of the teen not much of a bother. He expected the kid to be a bit heavier; his clothes made him seem bulky. "The plants must be working for him now. Shit, everything's turnin' topsy-turvy. This is what happens when one side gets stronger than the other."

"W-what are you talking about?" Teito looked down to the blond, unable to see much due to the top hat's broad rim.

"See, I told you I wasn't lost. The plants kept shifting to keep us from moving forward." With his free hand, Frau pointed forward, towards an arc created by two bending trees.

Teito leaned closer to the Hatter, trying to avoid the slender fingers of the trees overhead. They looked almost ready to snatch him out of Frau's hold. He turned his attention to the sudden clearing, squinting as the sudden light slapped him in the face.

Before them was a giant meadow, bigger than the gardens Teito was used to seeing on his father's estate. The grass seemed blue in color, Teito could only wish he could inspect it but from his current position, he would need to be put down, something he did not think the Hatter was willing to do just yet.

"Is the grass blue?" he asked instead.

"Yup, they like changing the color of the plants at times."

"Who's they? You know, you've never answered my question." Teito glared down at the blond, though more or less, glared down at his hat.

"…It's best you know less about this place," the Hatter whispered.

"Why," Teito asked, feeling almost defeated. "Why can't I know? If it's not a dream, I don't want to end up doing something reckless and stupid."

"Don't worry brat!" Frau's voice seemed to pick up cheerfulness. Soon, Teito found himself on his feet; Frau stretched out his near asleep arm. "I told you, didn't I? I'll protect you." Without even stealing a glance towards the boy, the Hatter walked towards the middle of the field, keeping his back towards the smaller male.

The wind blew suddenly, strong and rough, carrying with it the smell of nature.

"Looks like we can get there now," Frau spoke skyward.

Teito watched in stunned silence as something black began emerging from within the sleeve of the blond's coat. It stretched out, like black rubber; a deep growling stilled the quiet forest.

"Close your eyes, kid."

Unsure why, Teito closed his eyes as the rumbling grew louder. The ground below him shook violently. The teen fell to his hands and knees, the earth felt as if it was beginning to sink.

"Frau!" Teito shouted out, his eyes still closed.

"Kid, grab my hand!"

But before Teito could even begin to do so, the ground below him gave out, his eyes shot open to notice the sky above was growing darker by the second. The rocks he was kneeling on soon disappeared. Almost in slow motion, he was thrown backwards, falling head first to whatever was below. His head became light, his breathing heavy; the sky above soon became nothing more than a tiny dot of blue. Flashes of memory past began to fill his mind. He was one year younger, Fea Kruez was presenting him with his first set of clothing; the man had a loving smile on his face, his eyes watery. The image blurred, soon it showed a much younger version of himself, between the ages of seven and ten. He was running down a filthy alley, a heavy bundle under his arm – a giant piece of cooked meat. Objects were being thrown at him while shouts followed after. He stumbled over an overturned trash can, he fell. A bear of a man caught up to him and pulled out a rolling pin from a pocket on his apron. The man glared down at him with no mercy in those dark eyes. The image distorted, he was much younger now, much, much smaller. He began to take his first steps toward a man shrouded in darkness, his mind filled with childish thoughts. He could not keep himself steady, as if the floor was unstable. Something glittered on the man's wrist, a small red stone hanging from a bracelet. _"Come on, Teito-kun. Come to Papa…"_

"…Father?"

Teito opened his eyes, the world about him dark though faint flowing lights shown from the corners of his vision. He felt unbearably cold. As he tried to sit up, something heavy slid off his waist. He looked down to see the blond motionless beneath him. Teito removed himself from on top of the Hatter, looking down, frightened, at the quiet man. He shook the man's broad shoulders roughly but nothing happened. With his hat thrown off to the side, Teito noticed that Frau's golden hair was matted with dark splatters. Hesitant, the teen ran a hand through those dark patches, brining it up to inspect. With the glowing light he still could not identify, the liquid on his fingertips turned a different swirl of colors though one remained constant – red.

"F-Frau?" His voice was shaky, mind unable to comprehend what could possibly be going on. "Frau! Get up! You were supposed to help me get out of here, damn bastard! S-stop…stop sleeping." His voice faded away as grieve constricted his heart.

"Kid," the blond suddenly grunted, "you're kneeling on my arm."

Startled, Teito looked down to find that it was true. How he did not notice before was a certain surprise but the realization that the blond had spoken, relief swept over him. Teito punched Frau in the chest.

"Don't ever do that again! Stupid Frau!"

The Hatter reached over and placed his large hand on Teito's russet hair, ruffling it harshly as he pushed down on him. "Aw~! Little brat was worried about me!"

"N-no I wasn't!" Teito desperately tried to remove Frau's hand from his head.

The blond sat up while keeping his hand on Teito. With his other hand, he retrieved his top hat and returned it to his head, soon using Teito as a means of pushing himself up. The teen's neck hurt beyond all reason now.

Wincing, Teito stood to his feet while he rubbed his neck. They both stood in place, Frau began to look around but Teito looked to the other. From under the hat, it was still obvious the man was bleeding.

"Frau, are you sure you're alright?"

"Come on, we need to find him before something finds us first."

The Hatter lead the way forward, Teito soon had to run after him to catch up. After being continually ignored, Teito took the opportunity to look around. The mystery of the odd light was finally solved. From all around them, mushrooms the size of trees stood tall and a bit bend all around them, each glowing in a different color. Teito felt like an ant as he continued to walk; there were odd patches of grass here and there, sometimes as tall as the mushrooms themselves. He caught sight of a giant yellow flower, an equally large ladybug scurried across its pedals.

"Frau…who are we suppose to find here?"

"Well, there's only one creature here worth our time: the blue caterpillar." The Hatter turned partially to the boy beside him. "Are you scared?"

"W-what?!" Teito turned furious to the man. "I am not scared! It's just…this is all so weird. It's starting to feel less and less like a dream…"

They continued to walk in silence, emerald eyes continued to dart at any little noise in the dark world. Teito's mind filled with question after question though he didn't dare voice them. Frau would certainly avoid explaining anything.

"Wait," Frau held out an arm, stopping Teito from advancing any further. His sapphire gaze traveled through the neon sea, odd flashes of blue twirled in the corners of his eyes. "…Hello?"

"Who are you?" a lazy voice echoed through the dark.

Both turned, startled, to a presence at the left of them. A man, thin build, gazed at them lazily from his perch on a petite blue mushroom (compared to the rest, it was rather short). A pipe was held loosely in his hand, an elegant, charming smile on his fair features. His hair was a striking blue color, though at odd times it took on a shade of violet. His eyes were held half open, amethyst in color. He lay on his mushroom, stomach down, with feet crossed in the air. From the looks of it, he wore something similar to a nightgown.

"Um, are you the blue caterpillar?" Teito asked, ducking under Frau's arm.

The man took in a deep breath of his pipe, a blue smoke emerging from his pursed lips. Much like the Hatter's, the man's smoke dissolved into a swaying picture, a blue worm crawled through the sky before disappearing.

"I have been known by that pseudonym, I take the name Labrador now. You have traveled from a far away place, have you not?"

"Y-yes, my name is Teito Klein; I have something to ask of you."

"I know." The man turned onto his back; he seemed amused as he watched them upside down. "I know everything, young Teito Klein. The past, the present and dare I say, the future. I know of what you will ask before you think of asking. You wish passage home."

Teito nodded, his voice lost for a moment.

"You will suffer many hardships in the future," Labrador took a long breath from his pipe, eyes turned skyward. Slowly, he opened his mouth and allowed the smoke to leave on its own accord. It swirled with a variety of colors. The man closed his eyes, relaxing into his mushroom that it almost appeared he had fallen asleep. "Such a haunting past, a warmer present but…your future decides the future of two worlds. You are…a very important creature, Teito Klein."

Labrador sat up abruptly, turning to the two men with lazy eyes and a caring smile. He reclined on an arm, the hand with the pipe beckoned Teito forward. Stealing a look towards Frau, who jerked his head forward to go, the teen walked up to the strange man. Teito was near the same height of the mushroom, though it passed him by a few inches.

From his perch, the blue haired man reached down and presented his hand for Teito to take. Cautious, but only for a moment, Teito took hold of the thin man's hand. He was pulled up easily onto the mushroom and sat on its soft, squishy head.

"Close your eyes, Teito Klein."

Teito nodded and followed instructions. He felt as Labrador's hand ran through his hair, an odd comforting feeling.

"In very little time…someone will come after you. They will tear down your world if you do not conclude the battle in your heart. Only then, will you find what you need and stop this power from destroying your world. Follow your heart, Teito."

Teito opened his eyes to find himself alone on the mushroom. Feeling a bit disoriented, he looked about. A glittering piece of silver on the mushroom caught his attention. He took the oddity into his hand; his hand tightly gripped the handle. It was shaped oddly, an elongated prism with a thinner stretch crossing nearer to the top, appearing like a cross. In addition, a curved prism passed through the main and thinner one, stopping before it connected once more to the main body. Where the curved part connected to the main body, a small glittering stone was placed. It shifted in colors, never remaining one for long.

"What's this?"

"It's called a Bascule, but this particular one is known as the 'Key of Truth'. It's a weapon as much as it is a key."

Teito turned in place, catching the blue gaze of his traveling companion.

Frau sat on the ground, back resting against a mushroom nearby. He was smoking, once more, as a means to relax himself. He watched as the teen turned back to the 'key' he held in his hand.

"Where did –?"

"Lab left, after he gave you that little talk. He disappeared out of the blue after he stopped moving for a good second or two."

"Did you hear –?"

"No. I heard nothing of it. It was only meant to be heard by you." Frau pushed himself to stand, unnecessarily dusting himself off. As Teito received a prophecy from the blue caterpillar, Frau had received a warning: _'Do not let go of Teito's hand.'_

"_Because it's my role, right?" he asked the prophet who had come down from his pedestal to stand before him._

"_It goes beyond your role, Frau Hatter. You will not let the boy fail."_

_He was about to ask how this stranger could possibly know anything when, obviously, the thought came to him: "You're the blue caterpillar."_

"_I see the past, present and future. I know of your past Frau, I know of your present and I know of your future. And no, I cannot reveal the names of the other ghosts, but you know of them, do you not, Frau? The flowers are always willing to help."_

_And Labrador disappeared into a shower of pedals, leaving behind a single silver rose. _

Frau had replaced one of the red roses on his top hat with the silver one. He fingered it lightly as he pretended to fix the brim of his hat. Soon Teito jumped down from the mushroom, a smile on his face.

It was that simple, already Teito had collected two of the seven pieces needed. Soon he would be home with his father, all this nonsense of Wonderland behind him...

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**Shoulda made Labrador a REAL caterpillar**

**xD**


	5. Monsters One and Alike

**A/N: As I'm looking over the way I plotted this story… the Bascule seems a lot like a Keyblade xD Isn't that funny? …I thought it was… (= 3 =) oh, one final thing before I leave you to read my…whatever this thing is: Mushrooms can be very erotic. That is all. I welcome you all to the long (very, very, very, very, very, very long) awaited update to Down the Fyulong Hole! Ta-Da! -throws confetti up in the air-**

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**Chapter 5**

**Monsters One and Alike**

After hours of walking through a kaleidoscope forest, Teito Klein soon began to grow nauseated by the scene. The bright neon colors were causing him headaches rather than fascination. The jump in his step soon vanished and his optimism plummeted. After their encounter with the Blue Caterpillar, Labrador, the brunet had been the one who had taken the lead. Now, he was dragging behind, Frau Hatter had taken the position of line leader. Feeling slightly irritated with that fact, seeing that the blond wasn't even paying attention in the direction he was going, Teito shouldered his Bascule and took initiative to walk along side the larger male.

"Hey, Frau," the teen called out once he reached the other, having to trot just to keep up.

"You know, brat," Frau replied in a bored tone, his sights kept forward, "it's disrespectful to address your elders with their given name."

"Pfft." Teito shifted his Bascule onto his other shoulder. For such a small object, it was rather heavy. "So, how do we get out of here?"

The Hatter sighed, pulling out another cigarette and slipping it into his mouth before replying: "I have no idea."

Teito stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the blond as if he had just grown two heads. His mouth gaped, unsure of what to really say but feeling that he needed to say something. They had been walking for who knows how long and the blond didn't even know where he was heading?

"Frau!" Was all he managed to say without it being stuttered.

The blond stopped, turned to the brunet, let out a puff of smoke from the corner of his mouth and turned to continue forward. The teen scoffed and ran to catch up with Hatter, annoyed beyond all reason.

"How do you not know where we're going?"

"I never know where I'm going," came the simple, almost automatic, reply. The blond slipped his cigarette out of his mouth and turned to the wide-eyed boy beside him. "Knowing which way, following a path: it's never that simple here. The roads shift constantly, not wanting to lead to the same location everyday of their lives. Landmarks move too, unless human made. But even those, the land, on most occasions, refuses to allow them stability."

"So…the land is basically," Teito swallowed, "alive?"

Frau nodded, replacing his cigarette back between his lips. "Basically."

"Then…" Teito shifted the Bascule onto his other shoulder, "what are we going to do?"

"We walk," Frau pointed forward, "until we find something. Once we get out of here, it'll be simple to find the Basburg Empire."

"What Empire?" Teito turned his attention up to the Hatter.

The blond allowed a cloud of smoke to escape from the corner of his mouth and the teen watched in half-fascination as the smoke turned into a shower of single colored leaves, dancing towards the ground as real leaves would do. Still walking, Teito turned his head and watched them fall.

"Basburg. Bah-z-b-ur-gh. Well, thinking better tragedy, we best go to the CatHouse Café. Get information."

They continued steadily forward, each in their own musings.

Teito's sight was on the ground; glaring at the pebbles he passed by. Everything had seemed so simple just a few minutes back; he had collected two of seven pieces in a single day. Now he was trapped in a kaleidoscope forest of giant fungi, with equally giant insects, with a man (if he was a man) - Teito asserted the Hatter through the corner of his eye - who knew very little of where he was going. Or better yet, cared very little about where he was going. And why was Teito given the heaviest item first to carry? He had rightfully assumed that the "Key of Truth" would be just that, a key. Not an oversized…whatever it was. Seemed the only way the thing would be useful was to swing it around and hit things.

A soft rumbling disrupted the silence, causing Teito to turn his attention towards the man beside him. He was surprised to find Hatter looking at him already, an eyebrow raised.

"Geez, hungry much?" Frau asked as he flicked his burnt cigarette somewhere to the side of him.

Teito returned Frau's cocked eyebrow with one of his own, shifting his heavy Bascule to his other shoulder.

"What are you talking about? I thought that was you."

The two males refrained from advancing further, standing as still as they possibly could as they waited for the sound to return. Seconds ticked away and everything remained still, quiet. Frau advanced towards the brunet and took the Bascule from him. Running his gloved hand over the glittering stone etched into the silver oddity, the Bascule shrunk in size, fitting in the palm of his hand.

"That should be easier to carry," the blond said matter-of-factly.

Teito watched as Frau dropped the item into his open palms, glaring down at the small key-sized thing. If the stupid oaf could have done that since the getgo, why did he wait until now to do, what appeared to be, such a mediocre task? He mumbled a 'thanks', uncharacteristic of him but decided that if the man had bothered to help him at all, it should deserve an expression of gratitude. Though he had only just met the man, it seemed that if Frau so wished it, he wouldn't have helped Teito at all. He slipped the small item into his pocket and straightened his disheveled frockcoat, refusing to allow himself to appear improper in any way.

Emerald eyes scanned the area after a moment when it was obvious Hatter would not be moving any time soon. He found nothing different with the Mushroom Forest. It all appeared as it had, rainbow-y and very hurtful on the eyes. He looked up to the blond and followed his line of sight: it was pointed towards the sky.

"What are we looking for?" The teen asked when he began to feel ridiculous from staring at black nothingness.

"We…are looking for a way out of here… they are looking for you," the man growled before taking Teito by the wrist and dragging the boy behind him as he sprinted through the overgrown fungi.

"Who's they?" The teen shouted.

"Jabberwocky," came the curt reply, almost a snarl, as the beasts made themselves known.

The rumbling returned, only with more force, shaking the earth beneath them.

With his free hand, Teito grasped the blond's arm, his footing slipping with the combination of the unreasonable speed Frau was asking of him and the constant vibrations running through the ground.

"Keep running, and don't look up!"

Curiosity fought with his better judgment, almost forcing Teito's unwilling eyes upwards.

Dozens of beasts, flying on wings beating too quickly to be seen, hovered over the tops of the mushrooms, their jagged, yellow claws scraping the fungi's head. They were large in size, having four elongated arms, two thick powerful legs and an equally powerful whip of a tail. At the end of their long necks, Teito could see their pressed-in faces, but most importantly, he could see their slobbering mouths, filled with crooked sharp fangs.

They buzzed above in utter chaos, and Teito watched as a pair of them crashed into each other, taking each other down into the unforgiving ground. Almost immediately, more of those beasts were upon them, ripping and tearing at their fallen, but still alive, comrades.

Teito turned his sights back to Frau's back, wondering how they could possibly escape so many ruthless, feral creatures.

At that moment, a jabberwocky landed on a mushroom feet from them. Teito's grip on Frau tightened when it was obvious the man was not stopping. They continued at full speed while the thing tried to squeeze its large head through the spaces in between the fungi.

"Frau…?" Teito whimpered, his legs trembling with the overexertion.

"Keep running! And _don't look up_!"

Just as they were close to passing right under the thing, the jabberwocky succeeded in pushing its head through. Teito roughly pulled his hand out of Frau's grasp and retreated a few steps back as the monster's head lowered closer to the ground, it's slits for nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air around it. Teito was paralyzed on spot as he stared into the creature's eyes, or lack-there-of. The Jabberwocky's disfigured eyelids were forcefully stitched closed; the eyeballs could be seen moving behind the closed eyelids, darting left and right, left and right, up and down.

"Teito!" Frau shouted from under the mushroom the beast was currently occupying.

At the sound of his voice, the creature roared, startling the teen and causing him to fall over. The creature swiveled his head toward the sound, baring its fangs. With a swift kick to its slobbering mouth, Frau dodged its bite and ducked under its neck. He ran towards the brunet but the clear fear on his face told Frau that the monster behind had recovered more rapidly than imagined.

The jabberwocky's fierce scythe-like claws smashed into his side, ripping through Frau's clothing and flesh. He was easily tossed aside, scraping along the ground until a nearby toxic green mushroom stopped him. Frau placed a gloved hand to his wounds, pulling it back to see red smeared against the white fabric. He cursed silently when the monster roared, struggling to raise himself to his feet as the Kor threw his head towards Frau like a battering ram. With slightly difficulty, Frau was able to dodge the attack but not for long once the Kor caught wind of Frau's sickly iron scent.

It followed after him like a shark caught onto the stink of blood though had difficulty trapping Frau once the man hid beneath the mushroom the creature was currently perched on. The Kor threatened to fall onto its back if it dared reach any farther for the blond.

Convinced that the jabberwocky could not reach him, Frau turned his sights to Teito. The brunet looked terrified and astonished, still unable to get on his feet.

"Brat, run over here before the rest start smelling the blood!"

"I can't!"

"Why?" Frau overlapped Teito's reply, confusing the jabberwocky as it swiveled its head from the direction the brunet was at back to Frau, sniffing at the air all the while. It was trying to find them with its hearing, but the stench of blood was obviously keeping it preoccupied.

Teito bit his bottom lip, eyes forced closed.

Frau cursed quietly to himself, his glare now directed towards the monster that still snapped at him. He raised a fist and directed it firmly onto those forcefully closed eyes. The monster roared in pain and Hatter took that opportunity to run towards the boy. Without bothering to be gentle about it, he gripped the boy's wrist, hauled him upward, and threw him over his shoulder.

The Kor was quick to recover but Frau was quicker at retrieving his top hat. With a flick of his wrist, the hat flattened into a black disk, its edges sharp. He flung the item towards the oblivious beast. The visible silver rose on the item exploded in a shower of petals as Frau's hat made impact with the Kor. It howled and shrieked, a gruesome gash indenting its pressed-in face even further. As Frau rushed past, he snatched back his bloodstained headwear and with another flick of the wrist, it popped back open, a harmless accessory once more.

"Frau, Kor!"

Teito pointed towards a jabberwocky as it clawed its way through the dense forest of mushrooms, thrashing about to fit its oversized body.

"I can't run like this anymore," Frau hissed, not even bothering to look for the Kor currently pursuing them.

"Frau…" Teito grasped the man's ripped coat. He felt so utterly useless being carried but he couldn't run. His legs wouldn't let him.

"Why are there so many fucking Kor?"

It happened so quickly, Teito couldn't be certain of what he saw. One moment he was watching a group of Kor nosedive to their location – the one that had been following them left behind in a tangle of mangled mushrooms – the next, he was spun around dizzily, a flash of black and silver before the bone-chilling sound of glass shattering and bones snapping echoed loudly.

Frau jerked forward instantly and seemed to fall as Teito's already unstable balance tilted off to another direction.

Teito hit the ground first, the back of his head making impact. Soon followed the blond, landing on top of him. The air shot out of the teen, and as he gasped and wheezed, he desperately tried to remove said blond from atop of him.

Finally succeeding in rolling the man off, Teito sat up, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He turned his attention to Frau, who was equally out of breath, his eyes forcefully shut as if he was having difficulty breathing. But what caught Teito's attention was not the blood soaking Hatter's frockcoat; it was the large black scythe attached to a black vine that emerged from inside his right sleeve.

Teito grasped the man's arm, turning his attention to their current location if only to occupy his thoughts elsewhere but from the demonic item just feet away.

Nothing but white. White up, white down, white in front, white beside. Everything was white, they didn't even cast shadows. It was impossible to detect where anything ended, let alone height, depth and whatnot.

"Where are we?" Teito whispered, afraid of speaking too loudly. Just moments ago, he and Frau had been running through a forest of neon colored mushrooms, now nothing.

Teito jerked as Frau's hand clamped over his wrist, he looked down to see hazed sapphire, almost looking as if the blond did not understand the world around him. Teito shook the man lightly.

"Frau," something thick and heavy was stuck in the teen's throat, choking his words, "Please, are you alright? Tell me you're going to be fine."

Frau opened his mouth to speak but only a strangled noise emerged. He forced his straying eyes closed, trying to focus on a single thing at a time. As he winced, a stream of blood spilled from the sleeve of his coat, soaking his white glove crimson. He pulled his arm away, dragging the scythe inches closer. Teito immediately released him and watched as the scythe began slithering towards Frau, a blob of black as it ripped through Frau's coat and into his skin. The man suppressed a yell, throwing his head back against the floor until the pain in his skull matched the burning pain in his arm. He sighed, pulling up the mangled sleeve of his coat as he forced himself to sit up.

"What was that?"

Frau turned to Teito only to see the teen looking to his bleeding arm, the markings where his scythe hid appearing nothing more than a disfigured tattoo. He said nothing, waiting to see how long he could keep quiet before the teen demanded answers. But seconds passed and Teito only hesitated for a moment before taking Frau's arm, smearing the blood across the markings. He continued with the action, peeling off Hatter's glove. There was another odd mark but Frau jerked as Teito tried to skim his fingers across it.

With a small cough, Teito released him, cleaning his hands on his pants.

"What – what happened to your wrist?"

Looking to his wound, the blond grasped his wrist in hand. "The, um, the vine, the one attached to the scythe, it attaches to my wrist whenever it comes out. It'll heal, don't worry about it." Frau stood to his feet, eyes scanning the area. He forced himself to take a deep breath, his chest feeling heavy.

Teito frowned at Frau's staggering walk, and frowned even more when the man almost fell over trying to recover his discarded hat. "Frau, is something wrong?"

"W-well," Frau pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes screwed shut. "J-Jabberwocky t-tend to…" his left knee gave out, almost bringing him down to the ground but Frau worked quick to straightened himself out again. "They tend to…um, h-have poisonous claws."

Teito was on his feet in an instant, rushing to the blond as the man threatened to fall again. With difficulty, he pushed his form against Frau's, trying to keep the man upright. "F-Frau, we need to get out of here," he growled, Frau's weight too much for him to support.

"I d-don't know wh-where we are," he swallowed, "T-the scythe, it made some sort of r-rip and I j-just jumped through."

"What do you mean the scythe made a rip?" Teito's eyes darted left and right uselessly, everything was the same.

Frau shivered, as if cold, sweat lining his brow. "Th-the scythe belonged to the C-Clock Keeper, Verloren. He controlled time, th-the scythe was his…"

"The Scythe was his medium?" Teito finished for the man who certainly looked ill.

Frau nodded in the positive.

"Maybe we can use it to get out?"

"I don't know how," the man slumped, forcing himself and Teito on their knees. "Th-the first time was an ac-ac-."

"Accident."

"Yeah, that" Frau closed his eyes, too tired to continue talking.

"Frau! Stay awake," Teito elbowed the man, earning a hiss when he realized that he had elbowed the blond's injury. "Sorry," he mumbled but succeeded in startling the man awake. "Come on, Frau, there has to be a way out. You need medical attention, there has to be an antidote for the Kor's poison."

"Th-there is b-but," Frau grinded his teeth, the pain becoming almost unbearable. "I-I can't…"

"There has to be something I can do! Come on, Frau! Don't give up on me now!"

"I-I'm not, I won't. J-just, fuck, I'm so…tired."

Teito shook the man, Frau managed to keep his eyes open for all of two seconds before they threatened to close. He was dying, and slowly.

Kid," the blond pulled his weight back, looking down to the frightened teen through blurring vision. He placed both his hands on the teen's shoulders, barely keeping himself upright. "There's something you gotta do for me. Wh-when it's over, you won't remember, but I need your permission. Otherwise, I can't do it."

Lips kept in a straight line, Teito regarded the blond critically. Frau was shivering like mad, his sweat-soaked blond hair was sticking to his forehead, and his eyes didn't seem to really see anything. The entire left side of his coat was drenched in blood, dripping onto the white floor; the visible wounds still seeped blood, the flesh torn open and exposed. What could Teito really do but agree?

"…Okay."

Frau looked ready to protest against his answer, as if he was hoping Teito would say no, would never agree to such vague demands, but the teen didn't. He trusted blindly. Frau cursed silently, tearing his sight away from those innocently childish green eyes. He had been given permission, even if it was indistinct. The boy was going to get himself killed if he was left on his own in Wonderland.

"I-I swear," the blond forced through his jagged breathing, "I will _never_ ask this of you again."

Before the teen had time to question, or look at him directly, vicious claws formed on Frau's fingertips and ripped through the collar of Teito's coat and shirt, exposing the skin. He parted his lips, his breathing ragged as he sunk filed incisors into the base of the teen's neck, just under the metal collar.

Teito struggled, suddenly realizing the danger he had willingly walked into. He could hear the sound: the slurping and guzzling sound coming from Frau. He pushed against Hatter's chest, his eyes wide with fear. The teen's breathing turned erratic, every instinct to flee turned on. Strong arms wrapped around him, pinning him against that stone chest. He strangled a cry but sounded more like a wounded animal than a human being. Teito, however, did not stop. He continued pushing against the man-turned-creature before him.

Frau forced his deep-sea-blue eyes shut, tormented by the very act he was doing. And the teen fighting against him did not help matters. But he had to do whatever it was required to survive, and the thing that he was needed this. Needed blood in order to satisfy its wishes – an offering.

His grip on Teito tightened, his strength was returning. He immediately pulled back, only giving himself enough to dissolve the poison. That was all he needed. His wounds would heal, if given time.

Finally able to move his arms, one hand flew over his bleeding neck; the other was pressed against Frau's chest, as if to keep the man away. Teito stared at those pitiful sapphire eyes, at his blood smeared mouth. He opened his mouth to speak, he was preparing himself to run away, but Frau placed his palm on Teito's forehead.

"Rest well, child," was all Teito heard before any conscious thought vanished from existence and his world turned black.

* * *

**A/N: These will be my closing words.**


	6. Mirrored Persona

**A/N: Does the title even make sense?**

* * *

**Chapter Six **

**Mirrored Persona**

Teito crashed onto the harsh ground, rather used to the idea that from this point on he was going to be doing that more often. He groaned loudly as he picked himself up and sat on the floor, his entire lower back prickled and pained terribly. Finding moving too difficult to do at the moment, he looked about to find his bearings. They were within a forest, though this time it was not composed of giant fungi. They looked like normal trees with small bushes about and soft grass underneath. Like the arboretum back at the Kruez Manor. Back home.

The sudden orchestra of cicadas and grasshoppers made the homesickness all the more real as Teito sat in complete silence, his mind straying. Naïve he had been when he thought things were going to be simple. Wonderland, the book that his Father had read to him, had seemed like such a harmless place, filled with magic and wonder. But this place, it seemed, shouldn't be called "Wonderland" at all. Everything that seemed to be so innocent turned out quite the opposite, even the plants and ground. And all that seemed dangerous was twice as much.

A soft vibration along his neck startled him back to reality, or wherever he was. The brunet stood to his feet, turning on spot all around him. The branches overhead swayed as if a soft gush of wind blew though Teito felt nothing, not even the faintest brush of air. He placed a hand on his neck, where he had felt something strange. If he wasn't so uneasy, he could have sworn he thought he had heard, well, _purring_.

Teito winced as his fingers pressed against his neck, it felt bruised. Frowning, he tried to remember what might have happened that would have caused that, not to mention his torn collars on his shirt and coat. But his mind came up blank.

They had been running from the Kor. Frau had used his scythe to get them into a strange white room, then a blurring memory of Frau using his scythe again to exit the place.

Immediately, he searched for Hatter. It had just occurred to him that he hadn't heard or seen the man since their escape from the white room.

The man was nowhere to be seen, Teito was utterly alone. Could they have fallen out into different locations? Or, as Frau had mentioned about the scythe's owner, fallen out into different times?

The thought of that scared the teen, rooting him in place even as the leaves above rattled once more, no wind blowing on them to do so.

Without competent thought, Teito seemed to find his legs and ran from that spot. His heart hammered viciously inside his chest, his breathing came erratic. His emerald eyes dashed to every little noise, sweat covered his brow. He continued to dash in no real direction, stopped only when he came upon a road. One sign pointed to the left, the other to the right, and the last one up. There were scribbles on the sign that pointed up. Curiosity diminishing his fear momentarily, Teito approached the sign and tried to make sense of the words. It appeared to say: 'do not look up'.

At reading that, Teito had the sudden strong urge to look up but he strained to keep his head leveled. His mind raced with excuses for why he should look up. For one, there could be an exit up there – stranger things have happened. But a more logical reason would be that there could be someone up above him, ready to jump down and harm him. Or as he was reminded, kill him. Maybe that was why the leaves were rustling, someone was creeping above him. Or, it could have been a Jabberwocky! But Teito easily dismissed that idea; those creatures were loud and were sure to give themselves away before they even got close.

Teito shook his head. Last time he had failed to 'not look up' Frau had ended up injured, no, half dead. The teen whimpered. But what if the enemy purposefully put that, knowing he wouldn't look up because he had realized the importance of paying attention to small orders like that. But they had to know he would realize that, so they put that there knowing Teito would look up and attack him from below.

"Ugh," he voiced his disgust as he massaged his temples. He was confusing himself and getting nowhere. Perhaps it would have been better if he had failed to notice the scribbling at all.

"The sign never said anything about not turning away," Teito came to that conclusion and did just that. Only, as he turned to walk the way he came, the trees were suddenly lined with thick brush. It was impossible to walk through it, let alone come out of it. He narrowed his eyes and looked about, just a moment ago, the ground was clear and leveled, now there was underbrush galore, making walking impossible without earning oneself a few scratches.

"Where do I go?" he whispered to himself as he turned back to the signs. They were still there, though now joined by many, _many_ more. They pointed in all different directions and covered the poor tree to the point that the only way you knew they were nailed to the tree was the branches coming out from high above.

"Stupid Hatter, where the hell are you?" He shouted, suddenly infuriated, and kicked out to the signs.

To his surprise, the signs began glowing, each a different color. One by one they turned on and off, like twinkling festive lights before one remained constant. It pointed towards his immediate left, and much _more_ to his surprise, the trees and underbrush jumped out of the way and created a path.

Teito blinked a few times before turning back to the cluster of signs. He bowed politely, said thank you – to who he was thanking, he wasn't sure but though he might as well, what with the plants always working against him, now they were helping – and proceeded through the path.

His eyes dashed left and right, almost expecting the foliage to close in on him and swallow him whole. A few vines snapped out at him but were tugged back into the brush by some unseen force. He kept a cautious eye, his hand tightly gripping his miniature Bascule. He was uncertain of how to put it back to its original state but it calmed him a bit having it, not that he knew how to use it either. If he ever survived this, Teito was going to _force_ Frau to teach him the finer points of how to handle the stupid key.

For the most part, the forest had been light enough to see but as he seemed to be nearing the end of the path, what with the trees growing closer and closer together, it appeared to be getting darker.

As Teito forced himself through a small cluster of brush, he stumbled into a dark clearing. His eyes drifted off to the sky, seeing nothing but large branches reaching high, high above him. Then he understood the only reason it was so dark was because a tree's giant branches were covering the sun high above. Or, if there _was_ a sun in this world.

As he approached the tree, he noted that its trunk was easily as big as a carriage, horse and all. He was so engrossed with how large the tree ws, never having seen one so wide and tall, he was caught off guard when the soft sound of a wind instrument sounded. Paranoid, as he was now, Teito did not let his guard down as he searched for the source of the sound. It appeared to have a point of origin so Teito followed it cautiously; surprised he was when he caught sight of a middle-aged man, appearing somewhere the age of his Father, leaning against the massive tree. The man, dressed rather formally for being in such a place, was playing a harmonica, his eyes closed as he entranced himself in the music.

The man did not appear menacing or dangerous, rather he appeared kind. Not wanting to interrupt his music, Teito sat a few yards away on the grass, cross-legged as he would do for his Father back home whenever they would read or discuss literature.

As the soft music continued to play, Teito wondered why he was directed this way. He assumed that he would be lead to Frau, what with him shouting to the forest where the blond was. But instead, he was lead here, to a man that appeared to be the complete opposite of the blond. That was when he saw it. How he had not seen it before was something of a mystery but on top of the man's dark hair was a deep crimson Homburg. It intended on the top and the rim curved along the back but flattened once it reached the front, dipping down slightly and obscured half of his features. Around the lower half, a black ribbon laced around with a card tucked neatly on the right side behind a silver ornament. From a distance, Teito couldn't very well see what the ornament was, but it looked oddly like a heart.

It was a rather wild idea (_very_ wild) but Teito wondered if this man could be a Hatter, based on the assumption that the man _was_ wearing a hat, and it had a little card tucked away like Frau's.

Teito _had_ shouted Hatter; he had only assumed that there was one Hatter in this world. Perhaps he was wrong and there were more. Perhaps the signs had directed him to the closest Hatter. Then the thought hit him, if 'Hatter' was a family name, then did that mean Frau had a family?

Of course he has a family, Teito scolded himself. People didn't just _happen_. They have mothers and fathers, sometimes sisters and brothers and uncles and aunts. And maybe even a few cousins here and there. And certainly grandparents. It just seemed odd that a person like Frau, so confident and well-experienced in wilderness survival, to have once been a child.

As he was musing over the idea of how the blond might have been as a child, Teito failed to notice that the harmonica had ceased playing. He turned his attention to the man to get another look, maybe try and find features that he and Frau had in common, when he unexpectedly found himself staring into the man's light brown eyes.

"Hello," the man greeted. The mild surprise in his eyes and face made him seem younger, more juvenile.

"U-um, h-hello," Teito replied once finally finding his voice.

The man beckoned Teito forward with a wave of his hand. The teen remained seated for a few moments, staring, before standing and approaching the man. He bowed respectfully.

"I am _terribly_ sorry for interrupting you like this, and how I must look. M-my name is Teito Klein, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The man chuckled lightly and Teito felt his chest constrict. He sounded just like his Father.

"My, you certainly are a polite one. You didn't interrupt anything. Please, sit."

Teito sat a respectable distance from the man and crossed his legs, folded hands falling into the gap his legs had created.

"Well, Teito-kun, my name is Bastien, Hatter Bastien. The pleasure is all mine. We haven't had many of your kind around these parts for years now," he smiled though it did not reach his eyes.

"M-my kind?" Teito asked, feeling uneasy now.

The elder Hatter tapped his neck causing Teito to reach up and grasp the cold metal collar tightly, his cheeks burning lightly. The man chuckled at the teen's response and turned his attention to his harmonica, turning over the silver piece in hand.

"It is rather surprising, not more so than seeing you wandering about by yourself. Isn't anyone with you?" He looked back up, eyes sympathetic and warm.

"W-well I did have a companion but we seemed to have been…separated," Teito looked around, worried. Frau had been bleeding pretty badly. He hoped the blond would be alright.

"Separated? Now that shouldn't happen. An escort should always have their patrons within their line of sight. That is failure on _their_ part."

"N-no!" Teito turned back to Bastien. "It was _my_ fault. I…" he turned away, dejected, "I should have listened to him. If I had then we wouldn't…he wouldn't have been…"

"Now, now, Teito-kun. I'm sure Frau is just fine. He is built to take abuse."

"But there were so many Ko-!" Teito silenced himself immediately, his eyes wide as he continued to stare at the man. "How do you know about Frau?"

"Kor?" The man looked slightly alarmed at that but, with a sigh, seemed to have composed himself. He removed his Homburg and dropped his harmonica into it. "Well, I _am_ a Hatter. Much as Frau is one. A Hatter's role was to always…_aid_ the Outsiders."

"You're not his…" Teito trailed off, not wanting to say it in case if he was mistaken.

The man laughed at this, threw his head back and laughed. After calming himself somewhat, he turned his attention back on Teito, his fisted hand over his mouth as he tried to stifle the laughter that still consumed him. His eyes were that warm cinnamon again, amused beyond all reasonable doubt. He closed them in desperation as he shook with more laughter though refrained from bursting as he did before.

"I-I'm t-terribly sorry," he spoke in between chuckles, "I-I am not laughing _at_ you. Just…it is rather amusing that someone believe that."

Teito looked away, sulking, feeling embarrassed even _if_ he wasn't being laughed at.

"No, no," Bastien seemed to finally compose himself. "It just is amusing, is all. It has been a while since he was mistaken as my son. It's a bit bitter-sweet, if you know what I mean."

Still not returning his gaze, Teito nodded, looking a bit solemn as he thought about his own Father, Fea Kruez. It was the same for Teito whenever they mistook Fea for his father, his _real_ father. It was like if the world had finally given him a home but yet, Teito knew that he wasn't Fea's real son. He was a sham. An imposter.

"Frau," the elder man continued, a soft smile playing on his lips as he kept his sights on the teen, "He is my son at heart. I had taken him in and raised him as my own. Frau was…well, he wasn't in a very good place when I found him. I…_fixed_ him, somewhat, and taught him my family ways. You see…"

The story had sparked Teito's interest, causing him to pay closer attention as he watched Bastien from the corner of his eye.

"I am the last of my kind, a Hatter. I was an only child and a widower so there was no one to continue my family name and trait. That was when I stumbled upon Frau, a boy without a past and, much less, a future. Surprised I was when Frau excelled as a Hatter, even without the training the Hatters go through at a very young age. He is even better than some of the most accomplished Hatters in recorded history. But the Hatters have a role to play in Wonderland. And Frau refused to play his part. He ran away and I've been waiting for his return, here, by this tree."

"How long have you been waiting?" The Frau Teito knew did not seem like the type to run away.

"…How long? So long I've lost count. But," the man looked down to his hat, a sad smile on his face, "I'm sure he's a grown man by now. Forgotten all about me."

"Would you like to see him again?" Teito asked, uncertain if he even _could_ get Frau to come back here and reunite with his adoptive father. He didn't even know where the blond was.

"It would certainly put me at ease," the man smiled, though a hint of sadness still tainted that smile.

"Then I'll find him for you and bring him here, force him if I have to," Teito spoke sternly as if to rile himself up for this task.

"Then I shall take your word on it," the man stooped his head in a sort of bow. Teito did the same. "One piece of advice before you set out though." He pointed to the brunet's neck. "I would most certainly cover that up. In this forest, it won't matter much if you expose yourself as you are. The trees conceal your identity somewhat to those not belonging to the forest."

"So then, the Kor?"

"Yes, among other things. But once you are out of the forest, _everyone_ will be able to confirm who you are, an Outsider. And I'm sure you have been told that Outsiders are not all too welcome anymore."

"Yeah, I've been told," Teito swallowed.

"Actually, if you do come back, I'll be more than willing to give you my hat. If you wear an item belonging to a Wonderlander, it will help mask you. My hat also does some pretty neat tricks, I'm sure Frau can show you how to use it," he smiled as he flipped his hat back onto his head, harmonica back in hand.

"But…shouldn't that hat, I dunno, stay in the family?" It felt strange to suddenly be offered a priceless heirloom from a dying bloodline.

"The Hatter family lives on in Frau," he said proudly, a smile curving the tip of his lips. "If he wishes for you to have it, then it is yours. I no longer play a part in the Hatter role."

Teito nodded, deciding that even if he was presented with the hat, he would deny it. He just couldn't take it. It seemed too valuable to be left with him, a complete stranger.

"Well, I better get going if I want to find Frau." Teito stood to his feet and gave the man a smile, something he didn't do often.

"I wish you luck, young Teito Klein. And when you see Frau, tell him that he _is_ a Hatter, no matter how much he or others protest. And tell him to stop smoking so much," the man grinned, dropping years off his age, "he will never find a nice girl to settle down with if he keeps that habit up."

"But…" Teito trailed off, feeling suddenly awkward. "Can't you just tell him that yourself?"

"He won't see me, let alone talk to me," the elder Hatter smiled sadly, speaking as if he positively knew that Teito's attempts to reunite them would be pointless.

Teito frowned and shook his head rather childishly. He looked out towards the way he had arrived and much to his relief spotted the road that led him here. Without bothering to excuse himself, he took off running towards that road, looking back only once to shout: "I'll bring him and you can tell him that yourself!"

As the teen struggled through the first set of undergrowth, he could hear the soft music of Bastien's harmonica, a beat much _happier_ than the previous song he had heard the man play.

x-x-x

Finding the signs wasn't as difficult as Teito had prepared himself for. The path was clear, the trees remained constant. For a while, he thought that maybe the path had turned off into a different direction, just to be evil, but he arrived without much trouble. It certainly was a relief. But then paranoia began to seep in. What did the plants want from him in return for being so kind?

He had asked this out loud but received singing cicadas as a reply. Since he wasn't fluent in the insect language, only having taken Spanish and French, and a bit of German and Latin (seemingly nice, Fea was a very strict father when it came to studies), Teito gave up and told the forest he would reward them only after he found Frau. The cicadas replied again with their incomprehensible music.

Shrugging his shoulders, Teito turned and asked the wall of signs where he could find "Frau Hatter", just in case he was lead off towards a different Frau. The signs began flickering on and off, longer than what it took for them to locate Bastien last time. They began to slow finally, their flickering more distant apart. Teito's eyes followed the lights, darting to all the ones flicking on. The time between their flickering slowed to a snail's speed until finally one remained constant. The direction as a bit difficult to make out, it was forward but a bit to the right. Teito looked around the tree's trunk but couldn't find a path that would lead him forward.

"What, no path?" He asked the tree and was rewarded by all the signs turning red and a _very_ audible buzz before they all turned off again. "I'm sorry," he apologized, a bit startled, and walked around the tree, keeping a cautious eye on it.

Seeing that the plant wasn't about to get up and attack, Teito turned and advanced towards the direction in which he thought the sign pointed towards. As he approached the first tree, he pulled out his tiny Bascule and began carving into the tree a small 'X'.

"I'm sorry, tree, but I'm going to need to find my way back. And without a road, I might end up getting lost," he apologized for what he was doing, feeling slightly ridiculous that he was apologizing to a _tree_ but the entire _place_ was ridiculous.

As he advanced through the underbrush, ripping the legs of his pants as he did so, he scratched a few X's along the way. He shouted Frau's name every few feet, eyes darting around the forest. The trees were so close together, he was certain that Frau wouldn't be able to lay on the ground. The man should be leaned against a tree, if anything.

Rustling above his head caused Teito to stop in his tracks, his hand gripping tightly to his miniature Bascule. He held his breath as his eyes darted all around but not up. He had a bad feeling about looking up.

Inhaling a deep breath, Teito squared his shoulders and continued forward, doing his best to ignore the now obvious rustling above him. He shouted Frau's name in an attempt to drown out the suspicious noise. But the rustling increased in volume as well. Never higher than his own voice but high enough to be heard. The teen soon found himself running, his plan on marking the path easily forgotten. The only thing on his mind was to run, run as fast as he could from whatever was following him high above.

"What do you want from me?" He shouted as he forced his eyes closed, struggling to run at the same fast speed.

Something caught onto his foot, startling his eyes open only to watch as the ground came running at him. He landed face first onto the harsh ground, grumbling as his shaky arms lifted him up. Placing a hand on his bruised cheek, he looked forward to find himself just yards from a clearing, the sight of a large tent in the center of that clearing.

After tugging his boot free from a discarded branch, Teito cautiously made his way forward, encircling the clearing as he tried to figure out whether the place was friendly or hostile. But he found no reason for the place to be hostile; it looked like a circus tent. A soft blue circus tent, like the blue of a summer's sky with a logo stamped on the side in a deep blue color. Inside a circumference were the four suits of a deck: heart, spade, clover and diamond.

Hearing no sounds at all, Teito approached the tent cautiously, encircling it until he found what would have been an entrance. He lifted the flap and peered inside. It was dark and a bit musky, making it a bit difficult to breathe. Teito took the collar of his white shirt and placed it over his nose as he walked the rest of the way inside. It appeared so much larger inside than it did outside. There were benches upon benches upon benches lining the walls. They rose high, almost as high as the rope wire that strung the width of the tent, almost touching the top and down, as if they had placed the tent over a deep crater.

Teito looked about the place; it was obvious it hadn't been used in some time. There could be, at least, five layers of dust on the benches and there was no equipment or anything out. It was empty. Just as Teito was turning around to leave, a spotlight over head flashed on, startling him back forward. He cast a cautious eye all around him but spotted nothing. Then his eyes landed down to the center ring, where the light was pointing at.

He took a step back at the scene, his eyes wide with alarm. Suddenly the sound of cheering could be heart, causing Teito to immediately turn to the benches around him. But there was no one, Teito was the only living thing inside the tent yet he could hear the sounds of cheering, laughter and animalistic hollers. Forcing a lump in his throat down, Teito advanced forward until the flat platform converted into stairs leading down. He stared down at the scene playing before him on the ring.

A woman, wearing practically nothing, advanced forward with various items in her hands. Then another woman, wearing the same thing as the other, advanced as well with the same amount of items in her hands. They both stood on raised platforms and began juggling. Teito counted at least seven objects, from the distance he couldn't tell what they were. The items suddenly caught on fire, causing the invisible crowd to cheer wildly. Spotlights from below flared on, directing Teito's gaze upward to watch as two figures, one riding the shoulders of the other, walked the tightrope, having only a pole to keep their balance. There was no net under them.

The sound of a roaring animal brought his attention back to the center ring. An animal that looked oddly like a lion but with wings like eagles protruding from its back raced around the ring, jumping through flaming hoops that were not there a moment ago.

"Welcome on and all!" A voice boomed from all around, startling the already frightened teen more. "To the Suit Circus!" The crowd cheered and clapped. "Oh, we have some fun acts for you tonight! But first, let us introduce our special guest of honor!"

A spot light suddenly flared and landed directly on Teito. The teen was ready to run when the voice boomed again.

"Come on down, Teito Klein! There's no turning back now!"

Teito looked over his shoulder and found that the entrance was no longer there, just rows and rows of benches. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Teito turned back around and cautiously walked down the steps. He watched as the two women missed a single object and burst into flames, disappearing from sight. The lion, as it jumped through a hoop, never emerged from the other end. The hoops themselves combusted and disappeared into smoke. Teito's sights went to the two walking the tightrope only to watch as their footing slipped and plummeted to their death. He placed a hand over his mouth but they vanished into smoke before ever crashing onto the ground.

All the spotlights but the one following Teito turned off and the place fell into immediate darkness. The invisible crowd had ceased in its cheering, clapping or in making any noise. Teito's footsteps echoed much too loudly on the cement stairs, bouncing off the hollow tent.

Once he cleared the steps and advanced towards the raised stage, a light flared and exposed a body length mirror standing all by its lonesome. He did not stop but continued, knowing that if he stopped walking for even a moment, he wouldn't be able to start again. He took the small flight of stairs leading to the platform one step at a time until he finally reached the last one. Throwing a cautious eye around, Teito advanced forward and encircled the mirror. His reflection stared back at him, frightened, on both sides. The mirror looked ordinary enough, he thought as he stopped and stared at himself in the mirror. His hair was full of leaves and twigs, his pants were ripped as well as the tail of his coat. Otherwise, he looked just as he always did, even with the scratches on his face. He tended to have many of those whenever he picked fights with the kids at school or when he rough-housed outside with his Father.

He began picking out the leaves in his hair when he began to slow down, his eyes trailing down to meet his mirrored ones. They were wide, with fear, but burned a deep ruby. Teito took a step back but his mirrored self did not. Instead it wrapped his arms around his stomach and laughed, his eyes forcefully shut as the laughter seemed too much for him to take.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the figure spoke with the exact same voice as Teito, though a bit deeper and strangely foreign. "I didn't mean to frighten you, Young Master."

"Who are you?" Teito fisted his hands, eyes on himself.

"Well, I go by many names. I am power, I am strength, I am ambition, I am greed, I am pride, I am wrath, but most importantly," the figure's shining ruby eyes grew darker, the corner of his lips curling upward to expose a sharp fang "I am God." He instantly shrugged his shoulders, his eyes closing as he gave the appearance of having been bored with the conversation. "Well, I _used_ to be God; sadly, I am but _a _god now. But that is unimportant at the moment; there is no need for you, Young Master, to hear of it."

"What…are you talking about?"

"You have lost your companion, yes?" He smiled, placing both hands on his hips.

Teito nodded.

The mirrored brunet looked left and right. Certain (not that he already knew) that there was no one around to eavesdrop he leaned onto the mirror, his hand cupped over his cheek. "I know where he is," he whispered.

Teito stepped forward and took hold of the mirror.

"Where's Frau?"

"App, ap, ap," he stepped away from the mirror, hands raised as if to calm Teito. "Be still, Young Master, be still. Your knight is…_fine_. Vaguely," he threw the last word in with a flick of a wrist, as if it was of unimportance.

"Knight?"

A smile played on the mirrored Teito's lips. "Oh ho? He did not speak of it with you? Well, I most certainly won't then. After all, I belong to neither of those stupid Kings," the mirrored Teito glared at something on his side of the mirror, looking ready to cause someone immense pain. "My King died long ago, replaced by that…filth," he snarled before he gave a faint sigh, accepting that things just _happen_. "Oh, yes," he cast an eye towards Teito, "call me Mikhail, Young Master. I'm certain you are used to addressing people with names, yes?"

Teito nodded, unsure of what else to do.

"Splendid," he smiled, a fang exposed over his bottom lip.

"Um, about Frau?"

"Oh yes," Mikhail snapped his fingers. "Through here, the looking glass."

"You want me…to go through there?"

"But of course, this is where he is currently wandering about and I rather him not be here. I dislike his company very much."

"How…?"

"Just reach your hand out, and touch the mirror."

Teito did as instructed, the tips of his fingers just inches away from the glass. Taking a deep breath, Teito pushed his hand forward and was surprised when his entire hand went through. On the other side, Mikhail took hold of Teito and tugged him forward. One his entire body passed through the glass, Teito's head swam and he had the strong desire to vomit.

"There, there, Young Master. You'll accustom yourself to this world in a few moments."

"Where am I," Teito groaned, an arm wrapped around his stomach, "What's this tent?"

"You are in the Speculum Mirage!" The mirrored brunet looked around, "well this here exactly is the mirror version of what is left of the Suit Circus. It was a very popular place, back before the Raggs War when those stupid cretins ruined my _life,_" he hissed, his eyes shimmering bright red.

Mikhail turned to Teito, noticing that the boy looked a bit frightened. He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Young Master. A bit of a sore spot for me. You see, I don't belong here, _here_ in the Suit Circus. There was a war, two actually. I do not know if your…_Hatter_ mentioned this?"

Teito shook his head.

"Well, before, Wonderland was once six nations – now it's seven – but two nations held the most authority: the Basburg Kingdom and Raggs Country. My home was Raggs, as is…" he trailed off as he noticed Teito's questioning eyes. "Either way, Raggs was my home. I was the high priest to the great Sovereign of Raggs. But those Basburg insects grew greedy with power, heh, and _I _am supposed to be the incarnation of Greed." Mikhail sighed, "Moving on, the Basburg military stormed my country and took it by force, killing everyone belonging to Raggs. The Red King was to claim Raggs Country as his but the country was unlivable to those who knew not how to cultivate the ground and survive the harsh winters."

"And those who did now, were all killed…"

"Very intuitive, Young Master," Mikhail gave a curt nod. "Well, they basically left the ground to rot. Raggs still stands, as ruins though. I was the only one captured by the Suit Court because of my abilities. They stole my powers as a God, imprisoned me in that mirror to become an act in their circus. I was to impersonate anyone who stood in front of the mirror and scare them white," the god smirked.

"And I'm sure you were perfect at that," Teito laughed nervously. Strangely enough, he was beginning to fear himself.

"But now, with you here, I can leave," Mikhail smiled innocently, like a child.

"W-what can I do?" Teito asked as he took a step back but froze when Mikhail caught him by the wrist.

"I was once a God," his voice was low, unforgiving. "I had unimaginable powers. I could control the weather in the sky and I could obliterate an entire city with a snap of my fingers. That is, until my powers were stolen by that…_child_. Now, I am tied to this tent, unable to leave the looking glass. I was the cause for this tent to shut down. I caused numerous accidents like the high wire snapping in two while those mortals attempted to cross it on their tiny little bikes. Or I would make sure that those fire breathers burst into flame themselves. Or, my personal favorite," he grinned maliciously "I would enrage the animals and let them loose on the crowds. Every night this tent was open, _I_ did that until they finally closed the place but they left me here," he looked off towards his mirror, his face relaxed, almost solemn. "Completely forgotten once the Basburg War began.

I still have some of my power, as I have shown you just moments ago with the reenactment of my spectacular achievements. But I want the rest; I am not satisfied creating illusions and having the destructive power of a cannon. The only way I can retrieve the rest of my power is to leave the mirror through a host, a host that welcomes me in. I will take you to your Hatter; I will aid you from this point on."

Mikhail kneeled and took Teito's hand in both of his. While bowing his head, he continued. "Please, Young Master. I have been through hell and back, I can no longer take this abuse. Please."

Teito looked down to, well, himself. He looked awfully piteous. Teito wondered if that was how he looked like to other people. As he gazed into his own begging eyes, Teito was finding it difficult to say no to Mikhail. Then something became clear to the teen, the reason why his Father was so easy to manipulate when Teito really wanted something. Fea Kruez just _couldn't_ say no, just as Teito was finding difficulty doing the same thing. Teito decided, then and there, he would use that 'technique' of his more often, seeing that it was rather effective.

Sighing, Teito nodded his head. "I'll help you, Mikhail, only if you promise not to hurt anyone anymore."

"Of course, Young Master! Your wish is my command," his ruby eyes sparkled. "I shall not even hurt a fly! Unless, of course, that fly tries something against you. Then master, I must revoke your wish. I cannot let anything, or anyone, harm you."

"Fine, fine!" Teito pulled his hand back, starting to feel a bit awkward about it all. "And call me Teito. It's weird being called _Young Master_."

"Sure, whatever." The god smiled as he stood to his feet.

"Now, where's Frau?"

"This way." Mikhail took a running start and jumped down from the platform.

Teito sighed and followed.

x-x-x

Teito had expected an entirely different world when he had stepped through the mirror but everything seemed oddly normal. Well, as normal as one could get in Wonderland. The only thing different was everything was backwards, and being in a forest, Teito could hardly notice if a tree was "backwards".

They had walked in moderate silence, Mikhail being the only one to open his mouth and name each plant they passed by. Teito had expected the ex-god to be rather ruthless and intimidating, but now, listening to him name off each flower and tree with their scientific name and a quirky fact, it just seemed that Mikhail was like any other 'mortal', as the god liked to put it. Only with Teito's face and, well, body.

"Hey, Mikhail," he interrupted…_himself_ as he read off the many uses for a specific herb that grew under specific types of rocks. "Why don't you turn back to your original form? Why stay like, well, me?"

"One of two reasons," Mikhail raised two fingers, his face stern and serious. "One," he lowered one, "You are by far the most beautiful form I have ever had to duplicate!" The god grinned, causing Teito to wish his early death. "And two," Mikhail lowered his hand and looked off towards the foliage around, his grin gone. "Two, I no longer remember my true form. It's been so long…so many forms I've had to duplicate, I just simply…forgot. But when I recover my treasure, I am sure I will remember."

"Do you know where your treasure is?" Teito asked as he hurdled over thorny vines.

"No, but I am certain the man that imprisoned me here will have it."

As they continued to walk, the trees became scarce, giving the two males easier trek through the woods. Teito's eyes traveled to the treetops above, watching as the blue sky began turning a soft purple color as if the sun was setting.

"Mikhail, are there people in the mirror world?"

"Hardly. Only when one looks into a looking glass does their doppelganger appear in this world. As soon as the person turns away, their doppelganger disappears, back to _their_ world."

"Their world?"

"Did Hatter teach you _anything?_" Mikhail spat.

"He…" Teito turned away from Mikhail, the glare he was being given too strange since it _was_ his face doing it. "He, um, was rather vague, about everything."

"The Speculum Mirage is a plane between two worlds; Wonderland and Neverwhere."

"…Neverwhere?"

"Yes, I cannot say much about it, seeing that doppelgangers don't talk about it, and I don't have a doppelganger myself. But the little information I have overheard is that the land over there is hostile."

"So…what about my doppelganger?"

Mikhail turned to Teito, slightly surprised to see that the boy was staring at him, patiently waiting for the answer. He scoffed, rather ungodly-like. There was only so much stress one could put on a god. He thought of a response to give to the teen for some time, prolonging in hopes that the boy would leave it be. But every few moments, Mikhail would look up to see Teito watching him, waiting.

"Your doppelganger?" Mikhail asked.

"Well, you appeared instead of my doppelganger."

"That is because that is _my_ mirror. Do you know how long I stay in front of that mirror to wait for lost Wonderlanders to stumble upon the abandoned circus tent and wait even longer for _audacious _mortals to come inside and approach the mirror? Let me tell you, it does not happen often."

"Oh, that makes sense then," Teito turned his attention back onto the road.

"A piece of advice though," Mikhail cursed silently at how nervous he sounded. Damn his master and his overly emotional voice. "I would avoid Wonderland mirrors as much as possible, if I were you."

"Why?" Teito looked at the god through the corner of his eye.

"Well, unused doppelgangers tend to be a bit…what's the phrase? …livid with rage against their counterparts. And since you, Young Master, have…_never_ been to Wonderland, you've never used the doppelganger you have here. The poor bloke is beside himself with rage. He might very well attack you and drag you here and take your place out there."

"They can do that?"

"They can and will. That is why Vanity is not such a deadly sin in Wonderland."

Teito nodded, trying his best to take in all this information. There were so many rules in Wonderland. All Teito wanted was to go back home.

"We're almost there."

Teito turned to Mikhail then towards the direction the god was looking towards. Beyond a line of trees, there was nothing but black. It was strange to see and even stranger to feel once the duo reached it. The air was bitter and cold enough to burn. Teito raised the shredded collar of his coat over his neck and huddled it closer, the icy air somehow able to penetrate his layered clothing without difficulty.

As they walked deeper into the nothingness, Teito felt an arm wrap around his own and was surprised to find Mikhail pressed tightly against him. Teito raised an eyebrow and was even more surprised when the god seemed to blush deeply.

"…I just," Mikhail began, uncertain of where his unwanted emotions were coming from. "I just didn't want to feel alone."

He was right, Teito thought. Being in that nothingness, the feeling of isolation was great, almost unbearable. Teito mentally thanked Mikhail for being so close.

"How much farther?" Teito coughed violently, the bitter air stinging his throat and lungs.

Mikhail pointed a shaky finger towards a structure just some ways away. The two males hurried there, practically running since they could barely stand the cold and loneliness anymore. As they climbed the multiple steps, they pushed against the large metal doors, entered and closed the doors behind them.

They stood in relative silence, the sounds of their breathing the only noise that could be heard. Teito turned towards Mikhail, who he could barely see with the light that seemed to glow off the walls. The ex-god was panting heavily with sweat trailing down his face, even in the ridiculous cold.

"W-where is this place in Wonderland?" Teito asked just to hear Mikhail's voice.

"…This place doesn't exist in Wonderland," Mikhail released a breath. "The things that rest here, in catacombs like this, they drift aimlessly between the Speculum Mirage and Neverwhere in a sort of karmic penance. They shouldn't even exist. Their crimes are far greater than the work they do," Mikhail spat.

"…then why is Frau here?"

Teito turned to the inner chamber of the room. His breath came out as white haze as it hovered in the air. His footsteps echoed loudly, bouncing off the cold metal walls, while he walked the length of the room. As he neared its ending, Teito came face to face with a large casket. There was a strange marking on the casket's face, nothing Teito had ever seen before. And as he stood there, gazing at the thing, he had the strange feeling that he shouldn't be here. That whatever was inside should not be disturbed, especially by Teito. But he had come this far to find Frau, and he was not going to let his own fear stop him.

So with a deep breath, Teito reached out to the cold metal box, brushing it lightly with his fingertips when all too suddenly the casket swung open on its own. Teito crashed to the ground, disoriented. Mikhail's shouts roused Teito out of his bewilderment only to catch sight of a hooded figure, dressed in dark flowing robes. A scythe was staked into the ground behind the teen, keeping him in place. Unable to escape, Teito could only watch as the figure hovered closer. Teito could no longer hear Mikhail's shouts; in fact, he wondered why it was taking so long for the god to reach him. But thoughts of Mikhail helping him soon dissolved into nothing as a skeletal hand, bones as white as ash, took hold of his wrist in a tight seize.

Mikhail raced forward but was too late as the figure took Teito with it into the coffin. It slammed closed just as he slammed into it. A second too late. Mikhail pounded fiercely against the metal, his boyish fists having no effect on it. He bit back a cry as his eyes accumulated tears. He had not expected this. He had imagined that the stupid blond would come stumbling out. Never in his life did he imagine Teito would be pulled inside. Into a world even darker than the rumored Neverwhere. He shook his head, his entire body leaning against the casket, his legs unable to support his body any longer.

In a mortal body, what could a dethroned god really be able to do?

* * *

**A/N: "**_**Duuh. I wonder who the coffin belongs to**_**…?" I will personally find and slap **_**anyone**_** that says that! D: I swear I will! I'm psycho! I will do it! …ah. That was a good laugh. Anyway, you guys curious about the Suit Circus yet? :D I bet only the **_**smart**_** readers can figure out who belongs to the Suit Circus. –cackles–**


	7. The World After

**A/N: These titles are not making **_**any **_**sense! Oh well.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**The World After**

There was one time Teito's father, Fea Kruez, had taken him to the beach. All because Teito had never seen the beach but in books. According to the man, it was something everyone should experience at least once in their life.

So, on one summer's weekend, Mr. Kruez cancelled all his appointments to take his adoptive son to the beach. It was one of the few times he could say with certainty that Teito acted his age. He was bouncing off the car walls, sticking his head out of the moving vehicle to watch the scenery change from city to country. And as the smell of salt lingered in the air, he would keep a watchful eye over the horizon until the vast blue waters appeared. Fea had never seen a child so happy to see something as ordinary as the beach, but there Teito was, pointing like any child would and shaking him to tell him that the beach was just over the hills.

The day was starting off better than Doctor Kruez had expected. His son was eager and ready to explore, not bothering to change into swim trunks as he just charged into the water in nothing more than his underthings. But after a few moments of watching Teito splash around in the water, something didn't quite seem right. His assumption was confirmed when the boy ceased to rise out from the choppy water's surface.

_Without hesitation, Fea threw off his coat and raced down to the water's edge, kicking off his shoes before he dove into the water. His eyes burned with the saltwater as he searched for his son, finally finding him as he sunk to the bottom of the ocean floor. He swam with slight difficulty, his layered clothing weighing him down. As he reached down and successfully grabbed Teito by the hem of his undershirt, Kruez pushed down on the sandy ground and shot up, easily breaking the water's surface._

_As they swam back to shore, Teito began spurting out saltwater, his thin arms wrapped around his father's neck to keep himself from falling under again. With the water level just below Fea's neckline, he held Teito up until the teen could reach the floor as well. They staggered onto shore, dropping as soon as they were at the water's edge. The only problem that could arise with them there was that high tide would come and swallow them back in, but at the moment that was far from their mind._

_Teito continued to cough, the salt water having burned his throat and lungs. Even though he no longer had water inside where it shouldn't be, he felt that crashing weight of water, making breathing difficult. To his right, his Father began chuckling, then laughing, an arm over his eyes as he laughed out into the sky._

"_What's so funny?" Teito croaked, glaring as best he could._

"_It seems," the man began between laughs, "that the sea has claimed my shoes."_

_Teito looked down to his father's feet only to see his sand covered socks. He continued until he reached the view of the ocean, and just some yards away, Teito could see something floating in the water, bobbing up and down._

"_I could go get them for you," the teen replied, forcing his face was innocent as he could._

_That only caused Doctor Kruez to burst out laughing again, causing the corner of Teito's lip to curve upward._

"_Oh yes, let's let the boy who can't even _swim_ go after my shoes!" He continued to laugh as he held his sides._

"_I just need to practice, is all! Just watch, I'll be a perfect swimmer in no time at all!"_

All the painful feelings of that day crashed onto Teito as soon as he began feeling anything at all. His mind was disoriented, his lungs and throat burned as if he had swallowed a gallon of saltwater His heart hammered painfully in his chest, constricting against an invisible force as if he was being crushed by a vast ocean.

He never did become a perfect swimmer.

After that incident, Teito had grown afraid of the ocean, and large amounts of water for that matter. So feeling everything he had felt that day at the beach, fear was choking his senses, making him irrational. He had to force his eyes shut, unable to bear the possibility that he could very well be drowning in an ocean somewhere.

With one hand over his heart, grasping the fabric of his shirt tightly, his other fumbled about the ground, trying to figure out where exactly he was through touch alone. All he could feel was cold ground, possibly metal or a very slick stone. He continued on hands and knees until his fingers curved upwards, up a wall. He slapped his hand onto the wall and slowly began dragging himself up. Once fully upright, Teito rested his back against the cold wall. The act alone had caused his breathing to come out choppy, having to inhale and exhale through his mouth just to take enough oxygen his body was telling him he needed.

Hissing, Teito forced himself to breathe through his nose. After moments of just concentrating on his breathing, Teito forced one eye open, darting it every which way. From what he could see, which was basically a few feet in radius, Teito was in a corridor that had only two ways to go, forwards or backwards. The rest of the world was pitch black darkness.

The paranoia of his fear was beginning to subside as he closed his eye again, concentrating on nothing in particular. He thought of his favorite foods, of his favorite snacks. He thought of his favorite hiding spots in the Kruez Manor, he thought of all the books he had read, he even recited a few he had read so many times that he practically memorized them. Teito whispered those books silently, his voice hitching at every other word. He just needed to hear something, even if it was the sound of his own terrified voice.

With one final deep breath, Teito felt himself calm enough to open his eyes. The pressing weight was still on his chest, as well as the mild paranoia in the back of his mind but he thought that normal considering he didn't now where he was. He kept an arm around his stomach while his other dragged across the cold wall to his right as he advanced forward.

The scenery changed very little, and that even seemed like an overstatement. Teito would take one step forward and the strange light that followed would advance the same length. And no matter how far he walked, the floor and the wall looked the same. Was he even walking? Was he advancing or was his mind playing tricks on him? It was too difficult to answer. Too difficult to even think about.

Teito was utterly alone. Alone in a pitch black world where the light he was given only made everything frightening. The light gave him enough to see his immediate surroundings but not enough to see if anything was walking along side him. Even now, as he pressed himself against the wall to keep himself moving, Teito had the strange feeling he was being watched. The strange combination of complete isolation and a stalking presence was bringing Teito's paranoia into full bloom. He desperately tried to control his breathing, to be able to listen if something was certainly stalking him, but his body would not listen.

As Teito continued to stagger forward, his hand suddenly left the wall for a split second before he crashed onto the ground. The little breath he had was knocked out of him, the pain unreasonable when compared to the accident. His muscles constricted, adding more to his unbearable pain. Teito forced his eyes closed, doing his best to control his breathing. His body continued to spasm for no real reason, the pain shooting through him as if someone was running a scalpel along his exposed skin, parting it evenly. Then the sudden warmth he felt pooling around him caused his eyes to shoot open.

Fighting through the pain, Teito sat up and ripped off his coat, watching as his white shirt turned a dark color, the foul smell of iron choking him. He ripped a sleeve open and saw, his fear increasing ten fold, a clean, even cut running from his wrist and disappearing into the sleeve of his shirt.

His fear giving him some sort of adrenaline rush, Teito was on his feet and dashing through the corridor without the feel of pain or shortness of breath he had felt just moments ago. His eyes dashed about but the never changing scenery made his sight all but obsolete. That is, until, he ran into a three way fork. Teito ran his hands through his hair, pulling at the strands as he stared down at a discarded piece of clothing in the center of the forked road. His coat he had abandoned somewhere behind him.

Teito advanced towards the fork to his left, the light following him giving him no information about what lay in the dark corridor. He backtracked and sprinted towards the fork to the right. He stopped once he was at the mouth, the same unknown feeling causing him from advancing. Not knowing what to do, Teito paced the perimeter of the fork.

"Where do I go, where do I go," he mumbled harshly, his voice hitching as his breathing grew unstable. "Everything's the same, everything's the same. There's no way out. No way out. I go left. I go right. Stop following me!"

Teito ran through the middle road. He ran as if his life depended on it, and he truly believed it did. For how long he kept it up, Teito couldn't say, he just continued to move forward, stumbling upon forks and randomly picking which way to go. His footsteps echoed terribly through the silent world, reminding him he was alone. Or appeared to be anyway.

Unable to run on his dying adrenaline, Teito slowed his pace to a trot before he had to drag his numb legs just to move. His face was coated in sweat, whether from fear or the run, he wasn't sure and very well didn't care. Raising his arm to inspect the damage he had received earlier, he was not at all surprised to find his arm free of injury, not even a scar. Teito growled as he threw his arm back to his side and turned his sights forward. He was tired of being played. Tired of being frightened when everything was just in his mind.

"Who's there?" He shouted out as he pressed himself against the wall. His eyes darted up and down the corridor, waiting for something to slither past his light. But moments passed and nothing. "I know someone's there! Show yourself!"

Teito shut his mouth and turned his glare to the wall in front of him, watching as part of it crumbled away without cause. Hesitant, Teito pushed himself off the wall and advanced forward, as calmly and cautiously as he could. He stepped over the rubble and kept his back to the wall. He watched as the entrance he had taken was swallowed by the darkness, unknown if the wall had closed again and trapped him.

Having only one real direction to go, Teito continued forward, squinting once the dim fuzz of light blurred around a corner. Teito approached the turn and looked to the opposite direction. How far the corridor continued down was uncertain, the black around made sure of that. With a deep breath, Teito headed towards the dim light.

It never increased in luminosity the more Teito walked, just remained the same dim light. He looked about the corridor walls and ceiling once he was finally able to decide that the walls were marked, that it was not just his eyes unaccustomed to the dark. The markings looked nothing more than different sized rectangles arranged in various ways. Or so he assumed, the paint that they were written in was faded and peeling.

Teito had kept his attention on the ceiling that he failed to notice the road turning. He bumped into the wall and cursed himself for being so careless. As he turned to follow the road, he froze. Part of him wanted to shy away, disappear back around the corner but something kept him planted. He stared with wide eyes, unsure if what he was seeing was an illusion or reality. He wanted to believe the former.

Taking a few cautious steps forward, Teito narrowed his eyes, trying to minimize his surroundings so he could only focus on the object in front.

"…Frau?"

A single light bulb swung over head in what appeared to be a very small room. The light was dim and flickered on and off as Teito approached the doorway. The blond, appearing much younger, perhaps somewhere in his late teen years, was strapped securely to a metallic chair, sluggish against his restraints. Metal bands were strapped across his chest: one across his shoulder blades, the other above his hips and the last roughly in the middle. His ankles were shackled with iron plates that attached to the chair's legs. He wore a white jacket that seemed to bind his arms around him; a straightjacket. Over his mouth was a metal plate that was fitted into a mask, cutting just below the nose. Frau's sad eyes were bruised and unfocused as they stared at the checkered floor, the dim light above causing them to take on a darker shade of sapphire. Though there would be moments when the light would flicker off and on that his eyes would catch onto Teito's and flash a deep crimson, just like Mikhail's eyes but somehow different. Those moments, however, never lasted long, so Teito couldn't be sure of what he saw. But the figure in front of him, Frau in the position he was in, seemed as real as the world Teito had left when he was dragged down into Wonderland.

Whether the blond had heard his name, or just the sight of Teito roused him, Frau violently threw whatever of his weight he could forward, causing the chair to protest but held itself and its prisoner in place. Teito retreated a few steps, unsure of what to do. Now that the man's eyes were kept pinned on Teito, Frau seemed crazed, already lost to whatever was haunting his mind. His eyes blazed with wild fury; Teito could hear Frau's erratic breathing and grunts behind the mask. He pulled against the straightjacket, the sound of material tearing made Teito's heart hammer in his throat.

"…Frau, what…?"

Teito wanted to know what it meant, what this all meant. He had found Frau, though it was certainly not how he had expected to. This man did not seem like the Frau he was acquainted with, he seemed more animal than man.

Teito was about to take a step forward and try to confront the blond again when a cold chill slithered down his exposed neck, over his shoulder and down his chest. Teito shivered and promptly turned around.

A figure stood before him, hidden beneath dark robes that seemed to be made of black smoke. From the bottom portion that dragged along the ground, to the sleeves and hood, the dark material seemed to dissolve as smoke would, drift off into the air before ceasing to exist. The figure made no move, it stood perfectly still except for its moving robe. Teito took a step back but stopped when the sound of the metal chair whining under strain reached his overly sensitive sense of hearing. He was caught in between two figures, unsure of how to handle either of them.

"_There is a reason…"_

Teito shivered as a voice echoed loudly in his ears, wrapping his arms around him tightly as the temperature around him plummeted. His breaths came out as white wisps.

"…_they call him the Mad Hatter."_

A muffled laugh came from Frau as he threw his head back against the chair. Teito stole a glance back, his eyes widening as Frau's laughter diminished to a sort of crazed giggling, his eyes amused and malevolent. When the blond had called himself "mad", Teito assumed that it was just metaphorical. Perhaps he had assumed wrong.

"_But you shouldn't even be here."_

Fear choked Teito's heart. There was something about what the figure had said that did not sit well with him. He turned back to confront the figure only to see that skeletal hand reach out and take him by the head. There was a blinding flash of light before Teito collapsed to the ground, his body too heavy for his legs to support. His vision blurred at the edges as he watched the figure look down to him.

Teito coughed, blood spilling down the corners of his mouth. He had no strength to sit up, no strength to lift a hand or speak. He just continued staring at that black pit that hid the figure's face, his vision blurring into nothing.

"_Rest well, child…"_

x-x-x

"…ster…!"

There was an odd noise ringing in Teito's ears. He wanted to reach up and swat it away but his arms were too heavy to lift.

"…aster! Master!"

With a small groan, Teito forced an eye open and was startled awake when he saw an exact duplicate of himself looking worriedly down to him. Teito scrambled to sit up but winced terribly when a muscle on his back constricted tightly. He collapsed back to the ground, a hand on his back.

"Young Master Teito! Thank the heavens you have finally awoken," Mikhail sighed, then immediately frowned. "You shouldn't worry a god like that."

"M-Mikhail?" Teito finally began to remember who this person was that looked exactly like himself, with the exception of the burning red eyes. "Where…tch," Teito hissed, his back constricting again.

"Young Master, on your stomach. You've certainly pulled something if you are in this much pain."

Teito did as he was told only to regret his decision. Mikhail had straddled his waist and began adding pressure to his lower back, pressing all his weight as he massaged his master's cramping muscles.

"Get off, get off! What're you-," Teito hissed, unable to finish his sentence. He pressed his forehead onto the ground and whimpered lightly as the pain seemed to flare three times as much.

"Oh, take it like a man," Mikhail sighed though the corner of his lips was being pulled upwards. "Your back is certainly very stiff but this wont take long. Just relax."

Being told to relax is much easier than actually relaxing. So Teito found he was beginning to hate Mikhail, just a little bit though. Once he began to accustom himself to the pain, Teito actually found himself relaxing. And the more he relaxed, the easier it was to handle the pain. And soon, he wasn't feeling any pain at all.

"Better?" Mikhail smirked as he removed himself from atop Teito.

"Yeah," Teito could feel himself blushing and purposefully avoided making eye-contact the ex-god. "Um, thanks."

"No need for gratitude. But, Teito-kun?"

Surprised that there was no "young master" before that, Teito turned to Mikhail, finding the red-eyed teen staring at him rather suspiciously.

"Yes?"

"Do you know why we are here?"

"To find Frau. Besides, where is he? I thought you were going to take me to him," Teito stood and looked around, frowning at the never ending foliage. Once all this was over, he was never going near another tree again.

Mikhail frowned, uncertain why Teito's response was unfulfilling.

"One more thing, Teito-kun," he caught the boy's attention. "Do you remember a dark figure? Dressed in black robes?"

Teito raised an eyebrow. "Did I miss something? Besides, how long was I unconscious? I don't even remember why I was on the ground. We were walking through the forest; you were talking about plants and doppelgangers, then…now."

"You fell," Mikhail immediately responded, standing. "From exhaustion, I think. It must have been a while since you've eaten or drank anything, right, Young Master? Wonderlanders don't eat frequently, and their military doesn't eat at all, but I'm sure you are accustomed to…what was it? Five meals a day?"

"How did you know?" Teito raised an eyebrow.

"Our worlds had once mingled, Young Master. Your kind had learned a great deal from us, as we have learned from them. Only someone with my memory can remember such insignificant details from decades past," Mikhail tapped the side of his head as he bit his tongue in a very childish manner. "At any rate, let us leave this mirror world and return to Wonderland." Mikhail turned and began walking back to the Suit Circus, certain of its location without assistance from anything or anyone.

"Wait, what about Frau?" Teito turned the opposite direction as Mikhail, slightly worried for his blond companion.

"Your Hatter is no longer here, strangely enough," Mikhail spoke over his shoulder. "He must have found his own way out of the looking glass. We should do the same," Mikhail trailed his sights upward, "before the sky turns dark. It's been relatively sunny for weeks now, the night shall fall soon and I'd rather have a proper place to rest when that happens."

Teito nodded reluctantly and followed Mikhail back to the circus tent.

x-x-x

"So how do we do this?" Teito asked as he stared at the mirror, slightly uncomfortable at the fact that he wasn't giving away a reflection.

"Simple," Mikhail replied beside Teito, grasping the teen's hand as he did so.

Teito looked down to their intertwined hands, uncomfortable with the act.

"Oh don't be so cross," Mikhail rolled his eyes at Teito's tense reaction. "Is it because you've never held someone's hand or because we are both males?"

Teito frowned at Mikhail's smirk, and also because he could feel the heat rush to his face.

"Can we just hurry this along?"

"Okay, okay," Mikhail chuckled. "All you need to do is walk through. When it gets to the point that your hand is the only part of you still in the Speculum Mirage, you're going to have to tug, hard. Otherwise we'll get nowhere. I won't be joining you on the other side physically."

"Then-?"

"I'll be sharing your body. It will take some getting used to but don't worry about it."

"Why can't you crossover with the body you have now?"

"The body I have now is not mine therefore I cannot use it outside the looking glass. Once I get my powers back, I'll be able to recreate my old body and won't have a need for yours. So, until then, my spirit will be in you. Now that sounded rather tacky," Mikhail turned to frown at the looking glass. He quickly shrugged his shoulders and looked to Teito from the corner of his eye. "Do not fret, Young Master. I will still be able to aid you. My power is at your beck and call," Mikhail bowed slightly, his free hand over his heart.

Teito sighed and nodded, embarrassed by the whole ordeal. Without another word, he pushed through the looking glass, his hand passing first. It was strange going through from the mirror world, as if he was being chilled then unfrozen as he reappeared the other end. As Mikhail had said, their joined hands caught but with a harsh tug he freed his hand. It was strange; though he opened and closed his hand, obvious that there was no longer a hand there, it felt as if Mikhail was still holding it.

To confirm that Mikhail had crossed over as well, Teito turned back to the mirror. There was no reflection; he wasn't on the other side with his ruby eyes.

_Break it. Shatter the looking glass._

Teito placed both his hands on the mirror's frame and pushed. The glass fell backwards and shattered as it made impact on the ground. The pieces scattered about the center ring, glittering the ground like little stars.

"Guess that's it then. What now?"

A sharp pain flared near Teito's temple and he suddenly grew the strong desire to leave. Once finding the exit, Teito blinked at the sharp sun, wondering why Mikhail was worried that night would fall soon. The sun was high above, shining brightly. With a shrug, Teito looked about, unsure of what direction to take.

Before he even asked the question out loud, Teito gained the sudden urge to go in one particular direction, between two very skinny trees. He advanced towards it and allowed his instincts to guide him. It was strange, and a bit disturbing, but helpful so Teito didn't question, just followed.

As he broke through some very thick bushes, Teito's ankle was caught and was close to toppling over but he gained his composure with relative ease, something he had never been able to do. Since an accident during his childhood had left his knees a bit weak, Teito had to compensate his injuries by never overexerting himself. But now, having strained his knees that would have normally left him on the ground grinding his teeth in pain, he could only come to the conclusion that it was Mikhail at work.

His lips tugging up slightly in a small smile. Teito continued forward with greater determination to find Frau.

He would call out the blond's name but receive only squawking birds and crying cicadas in reply. Teito sighed. He continued to let his instincts drive him, believing it was Mikhail aiding him as the god said he would.

But as more time passed, more unanswered calls, Teito was beginning to doubt. He should have run into Frau by now. How far could one scythe separate two people that fell through the time-hole together?

There was a sharp pain on his cheek and Teito quickly slapped at it, thinking it some sort of biting insect but found nothing on his hand, even as he rubbed his cheek. His only guess was Mikhail, and Teito assumed he had his answer when he got the strange feeling to start chuckling. It was certainly odd to share one body amongst two souls.

_Your Hatter is just over that hill_.

Teito looked and nodded, his walk turning into a slight jog as he climbed the small hill. Once he reached the top, he was slightly out of breath, the jog uphill being a bit more tiring than he imagined it to be. Drawing out a long breath, Teito used the high ground to his advantage and looked about. He wasn't high enough to look over the tops of the trees but he could spot a towering building some miles away. He wondered what that building might be and found his shoulders shrugging. Mikhail didn't seem to know either; which was strange, considering the god talked as if he knew everything.

Teito's hand tugged on his ear.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! You _do_ know everything now stop freaking me out!"

Teito's hand fell limp at his side. Skeptical, Teito raised it and began counting on his fingers, doing anything to prove to himself that he was in control of his limb again. Satisfied that he was, Teito turned his sights to the ground and scanned the area. With slight difficulty, he spotted Frau's blond head leaning against a tree amongst the cover of bushes. He took off running down the hill, hurtling over bushes and fallen branches that got in his way.

"Frau!" He shouted once Frau was well within his sights. The blond did not stir, did not so much as move to see who was approaching him at running speed. Taking a deep breath, Teito shouted again only to watch as Frau tipped off to one side before crashing onto the ground.

Fearing the worst, Teito did not bother to be cautious around a thorny bush Hatter had hid behind. He forced himself through and immediately knelt beside the man, shaking his shoulder to try and rouse him but to no avail.

"Mikhail?" Teito asked out loud, his worry clear on his face. A moment passed and nothing happened. "Mikhail is there anything you can do to help him? He's breathing but barely, and he's really cold." The singing cicadas replied, though Teito did not wish to hear _their_ response. He wondered if Mikhail had heard him, or if he even wanted to help. Mikhail wasn't speaking to him in his head, his hands weren't moving on their own nor did he feel a spark anywhere that might give him clues as to what the god wanted him to do. "Mikhail?" Nothing. "…where are you?"

* * *

**A/N: Oh…em…gee. Mikhail, you bastard! Frau's gonna **_**diiiiiiiiiiiiiie**_**! Dx …of course he's not. Otherwise, I wouldn't have a story :) Does that count as a spoiler? **


	8. KatHouse Kafé

**A/N: Mikhail's speech will be italicized when he's not in the mirrored world; it'll get confusing but just…bear with me? Oh, and excuse the…**_**randomness**_**. Man, I should've done this limited third person, or first person. Yeah…that would have been easier (=_=);; **

**Chapter Eight**

**KatHouse Kafé

* * *

**

Mikhail struggled to open the eyes of his borrowed body, a faint ripple of pain shooting through his nerves once he completed the task at hand. He struggled to control the rest of the body but that took more strength than he possessed, considering he was currently not in Wonderland. It was simple to take over his vassal's body, but only if he did so in the same world. Mikhail was struggling to do something that had never been done before; he was trying to cross over to the mirrored world of Speculum Mirage without a looking glass.

Which he succeeded in doing, somewhat.

He was in the last position Teito was in, standing at Frau's side. The boy had been so desperate for his aid but Mikhail could hardly do anything to save a body without a soul. And Hatter's soul was there, standing at his empty body's feet. Only, Mikhail couldn't very well _talk_ to someone not there. He had to meet Hatter's soul in his dimension, which could only be the Speculum Mirage. Where else would something like Hatter be but in a dimension where the extra and the nothing can exist?

Giving up on moving his limbs, Mikhail kept his undivided attention onto the cloaked figure just inches away. His ruby eyes glistened, glaring at the figure that his young master did not remember seeing.

"Black Knight," he hissed once he overtook his vassal's muscles of speech. "Where's your coffin?"

But the figure remained still, its cloak billowing in the still wind.

Mikhail's face contorted, displaying clear disgust.

"_Hatter!_ That is the name you have taken now, isn't it? Do _not_ ignore me, you disrespectful urchin. You have caused more than enough pain for my Master, whether he knows it or not; fix it."

Everything remained still, quiet but for the deep breathing coming from the ex-god. Mikhail forcefully shut his eyes, a pressure in his chest mounting to something near unbearable. He choked, coughed, unsure of why he was finding it difficult to breath. He couldn't even find the strength to lift his hand over his aching chest. All he could do was screw his eyes shut and hope the pain would go away.

With a hiss escaping his clenched teeth, Mikhail forced an eye open, his vision blurring between Wonderland and the Speculum Mirage. In one world, everything was crystal clear, the colors and detail vivid. In the other, everything was dull, unappealing, and dark. The figure stood there for a moment before it distorted and disappeared, replaced by Frau's mangled body thrown on the ground. Mikhail's vision continued to distort as, ever slowly, the figure began moving, its hooded head turning. Its face was still shrouded in black, hidden from view. The temperature plummeted, a stray wind picked up, carrying a bone-chilling shrill.

The strength was sucked out of Mikhail, forcing the once-god to his hands and knees. He continued forcing in deep breaths, the icy wind biting and burning his human lungs.

"_You are not Teito Klein."_

Mikhail shivered at the voice. His assumptions had just been proven correct when the figure had finally spoken. This thing, it was Frau – the man who had gone through so many names, titles and roles had landed the worst role one could be forced to do. Mikhail had watched, since the beginning, when this unknown name began disrupting the already unstable nation of Wonderland. Now, for the blond to be placed in such a position, it could only mean one of two things.

"Ghost," Mikhail hissed, the act burning his already irritated lungs. "I'm far from done with you. Do not think you have won just yet."

"…" The cloaked figure held out a gloved hand as a large sickle began forming from the shadows at its feet. Once the scythe took form, a giant demonic weapon that rumbled and growled as if alive, it was raised and ready to strike.

"Frau."

The scythe remained high in the air, stilled. A soft rumbling echoed through the scenery, blurring the edges of both worlds. The cloaked figure remained silent, motionless like a statue carved from dark onyx. The boy at its feet shivered, emerald eyes watering at the corners.

Slowly, Teito stood on his trembling legs, eyes staring at what would be nothing but air. Teito could not see what Mikhail saw but he sensed it, a sharp vision that Hatter was around, and not just the unmoving body at his feet.

"Frau, you're here, right?" Teito called, his temple throbbing painfully.

He had blacked out for all but a moment before the pain he had come to associate as Mikhail taking over his body had surfaced. The god sharing his body did something but Teito wasn't sure of what that could possibly be.

Keeping his sights on that single spot of nothingness, an empty space in a densely packed forest, Teito hesitantly reached out to what he believed to be more than empty space. He was quickly greeted with pain, an intense chill that burned deep under his skin and grabbed the nerve ends embedded in his bone in a tight vice. Teito quickly withdrew his hand, surprised to see it burning painfully red, the tips of his fingers a faint purple. His breathing turned erratic, skipping exhales as he tried to control the pain enough to speak.

"Frau?"

A hand clamped over his ankle, startling him. Teito was ready to throw a kick towards whatever had trapped him but halted once he saw those bruised blue eyes looking up to him.

With a groan, Frau forced himself to sit up, leaning against the tree for support. He slumped heavily against it, a gloveless hand poking and testing the flesh around his jabberwocky-inflicted wound. The wound was far from closing on its own.

"How long was I out?" He frowned down to his wound, not wanting to make eye contact in case the boy saw something he wasn't suppose to. He already had to erase the poor boy's memory twice; he didn't want to do it again. The first time was necessary, the second wasn't. Frau _himself_ was not even responsible for the second memory cleaning. Teito was never deemed able to find his way through the looking glass, and even less to find the place where his other half slept, where he was being kept until he was allowed leave. Who would have thought the boy could find someone powerful enough to travel between Wonderland and the mirrored version of it? And that only left Frau with another question, who _did_ give Teito that ability?

"Oh, um," Teito looked down to his hand, surprised to find it perfectly fine. He clenched and unclenched his fist; everything seemed to be in proper order. It didn't sting, burn, or anything of the sort. Did he imagine the frost burn? "You've been," Teito shook his head, focusing his mind on a single thought "out for, um, I-I'm not sure. The sun really hasn't…moved in the sky."

"Oh yeah," Frau ran his gloved hand through his hair, using his other hand to hold onto his top hat, "Outsiders count their time by the position of the sun."

"N-not always," Teito frowned. By the way Hatter said it, it almost sounded comedic.

"You don't have a clock with you?"

"No, I left it at home. But that doesn't matter," he shook his head, "are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," Frau inspected his wounds once more, three jagged lines running from his navel to just below his shoulder blade. "Jabberwocky had a long swing though. At least it didn't bite me. Either way, we need to move." With an easy flick of the wrist, his hat was back in place.

Teito helped the blond stand to his feet, though the tree beside Hatter did most of the work in supporting his thick build. They walked awkwardly for a few moments before Frau peeled away from the teen, trying to force himself to walk on his own. Teito took the lead, following the direction in which Frau had pointed. They were making their way to a place called 'Cat House Café', apparently spelled with K's instead of C's, which made no sense but there it was.

"Kid," Frau called out to Teito, who didn't stop but just looked over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised in question. The blond didn't know an easy way to bring up the topic so he was blunt about it. "Did you make a pact with a Warsphile?"

"A what?"

Frau reached out and grasped the teen's wrist with his gloveless hand, forcing a growl from the teen. Teito pinched his eyes closed, struggling against the man's grasp. With a sharp tug, he freed himself and turned ruby eyes onto the blond.

"Never_ touch me with your cursed mark, Ghost," _Mikhail hissed.

"No, you're not a Warsphile…" Frau narrowed his eyes, an arm wrapped around his abdomen.

"_Oh, really? Thank you for that delightful piece of information!" _A sparkling smile pulled his lips as far as they could go, flashing perfect white teeth as if he couldn't be happier. _"What would I have done if my life continued without knowing I _am not _a stupid Card Soldier? Oh golly gee, happy me!" _Instantly, his lips dipped into a frown as if the smile before was nothing more than an illusion, eyes narrowed and dangerous. _"State your purpose for this rather rude summons or I'll blow your head into the stratosphere, _Ha-tter_."_

Frau had never seen the boy's expression alter so much, and his smiling face was rather surprising to see, to say the least. So it took a few moments before the blond was able to compose himself enough to say: "_What_ are you?"

"_Dear Chief of Heaven, I have had this discussion before and have no wish to repeat it. You are rather fortunate, Hatter, that I don't have my body, otherwise I would smite you," _he glared. _"My human name is Mikhail, that information alone should be enough."_

It was certainly a surprise to hear that name. Mikhail was a name that had long disappeared since the fall of Raggs. He was notorious for his wild temper and rash actions. Everyone assumed that he had died when Raggs was raided. But, there he was, or part of him anyway.

"The archangel Mikhail has stolen the body of a twelve year old boy…" It was amazing, truly, truly amazing.

"_I am a God, Black Knight! Drill that into your thick skull," _Mikhail growled, offended by the way he was being so casually addressed. _"And I did not _steal_ my _sixteen-year-old _Master's body. I was granted permission to share it with him, until I regain my powers and create a new body for myself. And _no _I do not plan on harming my vassal. Better yet, I will protect him, from things like you."_

"So all this time, you didn't really die. What a shame," Frau narrowed his eyes, unafraid of this so called "God". There was little a dethroned god could do to him. "How do you know so much about me?"

A fox-like grin overtook the brunet's childish features, his ruby eyes filled with malevolent delight. _"You're still just a child…_Frau_. And as a child, you need to learn your place. Erase my Master's memory again without my permission, draw blood from him or expose him to that dark world of yours and you will regret it for the rest of your perverted life."_

"Tough talk coming from a dethroned god. I recall forcing you to your hands and knees just minutes ago."

"…_touché. Now, is that all you wanted to know or can I give my Master control of his body again?"_

"Did you…tell him, about me?"

Mikhail almost looked piteous of the blond before he stifled a laugh, turning his amused gaze elsewhere. _"Of course not, Hatter. Rather none of my business, wouldn't you agree?"_

A sharp pain flared along Teito's temple, forcing him to his knees as his hand cradled his head. His eyes blinked wearily, the world about him blurred for a moment before returning to normal. He shook his head, tired of Mikhail overpowering him without warning. With a sigh, he stood back to his feet, hand still cradling his head.

"Did I do something weird?"

The corner of Frau's lips pulled upward, a sigh of relief escaping him. "Nothin' weird, just mumbling to yourself. Happens sometimes with virgins in Wonderland."

Blood rushed throughout Teito's face as a growl rumbled in his throat. Frau passed the boy but not before patting his head with a gloved hand. Like an angry cat, Teito lashed out but missed as the blond used whatever strength he had left to make a quick sprint forward.

Grumbling, Teito fell behind the blond, eyes kept to the ground. Guilt walked along side him, pestering him at every turn they made. Even though he was injured, Frau kept Teito his priority and the teen very much didn't like that. Though they really had just met, Teito knew he wouldn't forgive himself if something happened to Frau. Especially if the man dropped dead because of him.

It would have made him feel a bit better if they worried first about getting medical attention to the blond. Teito was the (adopted) son of a doctor; he knew how quickly a wound could get infected and how lethal it could be if not treated properly. But as the (adopted) son of a doctor, he began to wonder how the blond was moving at all. He certainly lost enough blood that could have easily killed anyone. And those gruesome wounds would have left anyone on the ground, unable to move because of shock or some other medical issue. He wanted to ask but kept quiet. Somehow Teito knew that Frau would dodge the question or ignore it all together.

They walked in relative silence, the soft buzz of insects hovering around the air. But something other than insects caught Teito's attention: a soft _meuw_ of a cat. He lifted his head and looked about, seeing nothing but an endless sea of trees.

"Frau, do you hear that?"

The blond looked over his shoulder to the teen lagging behind then diverted his attention to the treetops.

"Hear what?" he asked when the answer didn't become obvious.

"A cat or something."

"Shit."

Frau retreated and took hold of Teito's arm, pulling him under the shade of a large tree. He pressed Teito against the trunk and stood in front. With a quick shrug of his shoulders, his coat came off. He rolled it up into a messy ball of fabric before taking off his top hat, and stuffing the garment into the headwear.

"How did you hear them before me?" Hatter grunted as he struggled to fit his oversized coat into such a small compartment. But as he continued to push down, it soon disappeared under the brim, much against all logic.

"I've been hearing them since I came out of that white room," Teito looked around, wondering why they were hiding from a bunch of cats.

"White room? Oh, the time rip thing," Frau spoke gave his hat a shake before reaching into it again until the brim was up to his elbow. "Dammit, that good-for-nothing angel. He could have at least hid you."

Teito winced briefly, a pinch of pain in his temple before his fisted hand rose on its own, and struck Hatter in the back. Frau looked over his shoulder, and glared at the teen. Teito returned his glare.

"That wasn't me."

Narrowing his eyes briefly, Frau returned his attention to the task he was trying to perform. He had the feeling that those two would end up abusing that excuse.

"Is something after me?" Teito finally asked, somehow already knowing the answer.

"Yup, and this should…" biting his tongue, Frau began pulling something out of his top hat. With a quick flick of the wrist, the coat he had stuffed into the hat had shrunk in size and no longer sported gruesome gashes. He presented it to Teito. "Put this on and give me yours."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it! Or I'll rip it off of you."

Feeling a bit hurried, Teito quickly stripped off his coat and exchanged it for Hatter's. He tried it on for size, surprised at the perfect fit. He didn't very much like the style of it but he had the feeling that if he complained, Frau would yell so he kept his mouth shut.

Repeating the process, Frau pulled out his new coat. It was a deep brown leather coat, looking very worn-out with the elbows scarred black. He draped the garment over his arm before pushing in the top of his hat down until it emerged through the other end looking like a fedora hat. He gave his wrist a quick flick in which his hat promptly flattened and separated into four curved blades, all attached at the center. He gave it another flick and the blades turned back into the harmless fedora it was before. He slipped the hat into place and began fitting himself with the coat. It was smaller than his other one, reaching just above his waist. He frowned down at his appearance. The clothing he put together didn't exactly match but there was little he could to about it at the moment.

Zipping up his coat, the blond pulled off his deep red cravat, and fitted it around Teito's neck, obscuring the metal collar.

"Alright, let's go." As was his habit, Frau ran his fingers over the brim of his hat before stepping out of the shade of the tree.

Teito followed behind, frowning down to the clothing he was forced to wear. Once he began wondering what it meant, he remembered what the elder Hatter had told him. To obscure his true origin, he had to wear the clothing items and accessories of a Wonderlander. It must have been working because the meowing and purring had stopped, but the feeling of eyes watching replaced it.

Emerald eyes turned to the canopy of trees, eyes scanning for any strange movement or the flicker of a feline tail.

"You seriously can't tell me that _cats_ are chasing me," Teito whispered harshly to the blond, giving up on his search.

"Well, not _cats_ but humanoid cats. Neko-mimi, I think they're called." Frau continued to pivot his attention to every little noise, taking up where Teito had given up. Cats were known for their stealth. Well, _most_. And with so many trees above, they could easily be using them to get ahead, ready to pounce once he and the brunet passed under.

"This is _stupid_," Teito gave an aspirated sigh. "Why are _cats_ chasing after me?"

"Because they don't like you."

"_Don't listen to the brute, Master."_ Teito shivered, clamping a hand over his throat.

"Oh great," Frau rolled his eyes "we got a party-crasher."

"_The nekomimi fear the Clock Keeper, therefore, they wish to make him happy."_

Teito shivered again, desperately trying to calm himself down before he suffered from a heart attack. "So to make him happy, they want to capture me and take me to him?" His head nodded. "Great."

"We'll be fine once we get to the café."

"To the _cathouse _café. Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better."

"KatHouse was named after a guy named Kat. We'll be fine in a public setting."

"_Besides, Hatter, you're going the wrong way."_

"I know how to get there, stupid angel."

"_It would be quicker if we go through the thicket."_

"The stupid ivy vines are trying to capture the brat too; we'd spent more time getting through it than going around."

"_You carried him once, so do it again."_

"I'm not really in the condition to be carrying anyone."

"_Lazy-."_

"Stop using me to talk, Mikhail!" Teito clamped a hand over his mouth, completely disturbed with the whole ordeal. He wished the ex-god would just overpower him completely or not at all. He couldn't handle the stranger's voice coming out of his mouth.

A flush of warm heat ran through Teito, calming him and even making him a bit drowsy. He guessed that was Mikhail at work.

"Heh, the so called _god_ is being bossed around by a teenager," Frau chuckled before a small fist rammed into his lower back. He turned and glared at Teito, who returned his glare but looked more like he was on the verge of having a mental break down.

"Stop making fun of him, Frau, or next time _I'll _be the one hitting you, got it?"

"You don't need to cry about it," he mumbled, stifling a laugh.

"How much longer until we get there?" Teito quickly interjected.

"Roughly half an hour, and that's if we rush."

"Great, _perfect_."

x-x-x

It took them well over two hours to reach the outskirts of the city where the café was located but Frau was just content that they weren't ambushed along the way. He began hurrying the teen over the last hill they needed to cross before reaching the city. Being on high ground was never a good idea; it meant they were easier to spot. But once they reached the top of the hill, Teito stopped, eyebrow raised as he pointed towards a building far off to a side. It was the building even Mikhail didn't know about.

"What's that?"

"Heart Casino, I think. Not sure, haven't been to the First District in some time," came Frau's quick reply. He took the teen's wrist and dragged him the rest of the way down. He would play tour guide later.

After descending the hill, a grey brick wall greeted them. Frau looked right and left. They couldn't go to the border cross, the only option left was to climb it.

"Alright, I'll go over first and then you'll follow only after I say so."

Removing his hat, Frau threw his filthy left glove into it. Giving it a small shake, he pulled a new right glove out and slipped it easily over his hand.

"God, this looks so stupid," he frowned down to his single gloved hand. "Anyway, take care of this." He dropped his fedora onto Teito's head before jumping and taking hold of a nearby tree branch.

Easily, he pushed down it and lifted himself up. He threw his leg over the branch, and, once stabilizing himself, took hold of the branch above. As he pulled himself up again, he used the higher branch as a handrail and walked along the branch below. Once he ran out of his makeshift handrail, Frau held out his hands at either side for balance and walked the rest before jumping and grabbing hold of the wall. His boots scraped against the rough surface, struggling slightly to pull himself up. Once being able to throw an arm over the wall, pulling himself up the rest of the way was simple enough. With a small sigh, he looked over his shoulder to the street below. It was empty.

"Alright, come up," he called over his shoulder, eyes scanning the streets. The city was large and industrial, skyscrapers reaching high into the dark sky. A thin blanket of smog surrounded it, making it seemed blurred to the world outside.

After moments of silence, Frau frowned. He turned his attention to the teen below, frowning further when he caught twin ruby eyes glaring up at him. The brunet had his arms folded across his chest, looking irritated as his eyebrow twitched with suppressed rage.

"_He is half your height and you expect him to do _that_? He wasn't born a monkey, unlike like you."_

"Ha, ha. How original. Now hurry up and get up here." he turned his attention back to the city streets, keeping an eye out for anyone, or anything, moving about.

Mikhail frowned up at Frau, wondering why he didn't have his powers so he could seriously injure the stupid man. With a scoff, he turned his attention to the tree Hatter had used to climb. It was simple to tell it would be impossible to reach with Teito's height. Mikhail knew he couldn't reach it. And he couldn't very well give his master more physical brawn unless he wanted the boy's muscles to rip. But something compelled him to jump anyway, to just _try_. His arms flailed uselessly as he stretched to reach it, coming no where near to grabbing the branch.

"_A god should not be relegated to such an embarrassing position,"_ he mumbled bitterly, itching to blow up the stupid tree.

"Good thing you're not a god, right?"

With a snap of a finger, Mikhail smirked as Frau was tipped backwards by some unseen force. A grin overpowered his features as the blond's hefty bulk landed on the other side of the wall with an audible _thump_, followed by a very rude curse word. With a more confident stride, he walked towards the brick wall, tapping on it mockingly as if knocking on a door.

"_Hatter, are you still alive?"_

"Fuck off, stupid cherub," Frau groaned from the other side.

"_Ugh. Do not compare me to those insignificant things,"_ he rolled his eyes. _"Anyway, I am going to separate the bricks from the wall, I'll place them back but I will certainly use much of my power doing so. The child, in turn, will be prone to fatigue. Will you make sure he will not be thrown into unnecessary danger?"_

"Do you really need to ask?"

"_Then move."_

Placing both hands on the stone wall, Mikhail's eyes shined bright red as a smirk curled his lip. The stones before him trembled quietly at first, then gained force quickly. They rattled and shifted, crumbling to the ground as nothing but dust. Once the hole was big enough, Mikhail stepped through and immediately closed it, crunching the ash together until it formed brick again.

With a sigh, the archangel slumped, his entire body leaning off to one side until his shoulder landed on the recently made wall. He threatened to continue falling but Frau was quick to wrap an arm around the brunet's small waist. Small hands reached and took hold of the blond's coat, eyes wearily opening to reveal dull green.

"…I feel…so ti-tired," Teito slurred, eyes closing again as he leaned his weight onto Frau.

"Come on, big guy."

Slipping his arm under the teen's knees, Frau easily picked him up and proceeded down the cobblestone street. He kept close to the outer wall, slightly obscured by its shadow. Sapphire eyes darted down every street and alleyway, memorizing the streets he passed. It was always a good idea to find ones' bearings within the split of a second if bad turned to worse. And in a city he had not visited since its change from Koi Pond Fields to City of Incarceration, it was always a good idea to scout the place and rememorize every street. He only wished he didn't have a hundred pound teen to carry.

The streets remained quiet and unfamiliar as he continued around the wall's circumference. Every street appeared identical: from the grayish brick used for the uprising buildings to the stone-studded streets. The only way they seemed to differentiate were by the different types and styles of doors at each residence.

Frau began to rack his mind for the door to the KatHouse Kafé. He was once a frequent attendee. He used to go in and out of that stupid building so many times that people had thought he used to live there. It seemed like such an insignificant thing to remember then – and it still probably is – but it seemed circumstances had shifted.

He remembered the streets used to have names. They used to be overcrowded with people, animals, horse-drawn carriages and festive decorations. The city used to be known for its rich culture and tourism. Its popularity and wealth almost rivaled that of the Basburg Kingdom and Raggs Country. It seemed like the shift of condition happened overnight.

"Frau," a meek voice called "where are we?"

Turning his attention to the boy in his arms, he struggled to hide the smile tugging on his lips.

The teen rubbed his sleepy eyes, still not all there as he tried to compose himself, and find his bearings. He was not enjoying how easily Mikhail overpowered him, and left him not understanding what he might have done or where he could be. The gaps in his memory were certainly something of an annoyance; he would need to set some rules between the god and himself.

As his mind slowly came into focus from its dazed state, Teito began wondering why he was so high off the ground. Then he began wondering why he was moving without walking. He looked about confused, noticed how closely pressed he was to the blond, and immediately turned red.

"Why am I being carried?" He grasped Frau's coat, certain that he would be dropped.

"You were about to pass out," he glared at the struggling teen. "I couldn't very well leave you back there. Especially after all the trouble I had to go through to get you here in the first place."

"Pass out… oh, Mikhail, right?" with a sigh, Teito allowed his head to hang over Frau's arm, too tired to keep himself upright.

"How did you meet him, anyway?"

"Um…I didn't tell you?" Teito cracked open an eye.

Frau frowned down at the teen, the answer to that question clearly responded to by his facial expression.

With a sigh, Teito tried to explain the circus tent where Mikhail was bound to a mirror, about the ex-god's circumstances, and their deal. The blond had a frown on his face the entire time the story was being told, making Teito troubled about the whole ordeal. Mikhail seemed to be of good character; sure, his manner did seem a bit _psychotic _but it only seemed due to the fact that he had suffered so much: the loss of his home, his King, his powers and body.

"What's wrong?" he asked but received only a shake of Frau's head as a reply. Teito frowned. He had gotten more answers from Mikhail without bothering to ask for them than from the man who was suppose to be "helping" him.

"I met someone else when we got separated," Teito mumbled, eyes turned away from the blond. He wasn't sure if his encounter with the elder Hatter should even be brought up. It seemed like such a sore spot to poke. The way Bastien seemed certain of Frau's refusal to meet and the fact that they weren't even related. Perhaps Frau didn't even see the man as his father the way Teito saw Kruez as his father.

The blond Hatter was ready to feign interest when a small crack of noise echoed through the empty streets. He wasn't certain of what he heard but it sounded oddly like creaking metal – sharp and slurred. He was forced to halt, eyes scanning the bare streets.

The noise continued to sound, faint at first but slowly gained volume. The source of the sound continued to elude him; it seemed to have no real point of origin, almost as if it was carried in the wind.

"What's going on?" Teito whispered.

Frau's reply came instant, "I don't know."

Taking a cautious walk forward, Frau kept most of his back to the wall, eyes darting around as the noise seemed near enough to see visibly, but everything remained quiet and still. Teito joined in the search, anxious at what the sound might be. Instinct told him it was an enemy, and his mind wasn't far behind with the same conclusion.

They didn't get a yard forward before the mechanical noises died away, practically nonexistent except for a lingering ring in the air. This caused Frau to halt, paranoia at an all time high. He could hear his breathing: the hitch in his exhausted inhales. Sweat began to line his forehead, and trickle irritable down his face and neck. He shivered at an imaginary wind, throwing his body forward into a strenuous sprint.

At the sudden lunge, Teito grasped Hatter's coat tightly, fearful that he would really be thrown. He was thrown side to side inside the blond's hold, his back pulsing irritably. Wincing, he kept an open eye upwards, reading Frau's troubled face.

Something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

Teito's suspicions were answered when they were flooded in a pool of red light that followed them in whichever direction Frau ran. He would turn into streets leading deeper into the city, into alleyways and walkways. No matter where he went, no matter where he tried to hide, the spotlight seemed to find them, shining its crimson light on them.

While Frau ran, Teito frantically searched for the light's origin. But with Frau turning often, swerving and keeping close to whatever building that could provide some sort of mediocre protection, the brunet continued to loose sight of the light until it caught them by surprise. He wished that the source could be spotted but for the time it took for the two travelers to stop and spot it, it just might be enough time for that light to do whatever it so wished to do of them. And that just left the question: what exactly was the lights purpose? To give them away to whatever type of law enforcement inhabited the city? Or something else?

Turning a quick corner, Frau pressed his back onto the brick building, his chest rising and falling in quick intervals. He watched as the glaring red beam continued forward, searching for them down the street instead of around the corner he had just taken. Once reaching the next corner, it stuttered and blinked into nonexistence, vanishing without a trace as it had appeared.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the blond slouched down until he found himself sitting on the ground, holding onto the boy as if reminding himself of the reality he was in.

Reality had shifted in definition since his transition from Wonderland's main city to the forest. Now Hatter was uncertain if he even _liked _this reality. Monsters were chasing them left and right. Kor, he could handle. He had battled Kor before, and knew their weak points and what to do if they needed to be put down. The forest's foliage, on the other hand, he had no idea of how to defeat, or hold off for that matter. Now they had cats tracking them, and who knew what kind of information they had given up to the Clock Keeper.

"I really hate cats," he sighed, loosening his embrace on the teen. His arms fell onto the ground at either side of him like dead weight.

Teito took that opportunity to slip out of Hatter's lap, and sat beside him instead. He stole a quick glance towards the blond from the corner of his eye, regarding the man carefully. The man looked extremely pale, almost ashen as if ill. His golden hair was sticking to his forehead and cheeks, completely soaked through with sweat. His breathing was slow and forcefully controlled. The man was not well.

"Frau, I'll go on ahead and look for the place," Teito spoke, determined to see this much through. Even if he couldn't find this fabled Cathouse Café, one thing the former stray could do was find a safe place to hide.

But as he used the wall to push himself up, a hand clamped over his wrist, catching him tightly and securely. Reluctantly, Teito looked down to the blond, returning Frau's frowning face. How did he know he wouldn't be given _permission _to do as much? The teen had to suppress the urge to sigh loudly.

"No," was all Frau said before he forcefully pulled the boy back down, causing a small spark of pain to run up the teen's back.

"We can't just sit here and wait for that thing to find us again!" Teito retaliated, keeping his voice a harsh whisper in case someone, or something, overheard them.

"I'll find the place; just give me a minute to find my bearings." Frau suppressed the urge to growl and to crush the boy's fragile wrist in hand. He didn't like being rushed into things.

"Why do you always have to do things by yourself? I can help too, you know…" his bravado slowly dissolved into a meek plead as it reminded the teen of something someone had once said to him. Now he knew how that person must have felt when they had asked Teito that same question: the feeling of uselessness, of being unable to help, and the feeling of being completely unwanted. "Let me help you." Teito repeated with a yearning that terrified him. He didn't know where it came from, or why he wanted Frau to grant him that one wish.

"The only way you can help me," Frau's voice dropped, sounding somber and almost piteous of the teen, "is by staying safe."

"But what about you?"

Frau removed the hat he had placed on Teito and roughly patted that mess of hair with his free hand. The teen gave a small growl of protest though did nothing to stop the blond from continuing. Once satisfied, Frau placed that hat back in place and forced himself to his feet, wincing at the pain in his ribs.

"Come on, before those things-."

The sharp noise of metal scraping against each other, a grinding sound that seemed to rattle the mind and cause terrible shivers to run down the spine, interrupted Frau mid-speech. Without giving a second glance to the world around, Frau took the boy by the wrist, and hauled his small body upwards. Soon the duo were rushing through the streets once more, Frau intent on looking for the right door while he entrusted Teito with the job of keeping eye for that red spotlight or anything else unusual.

The door, from what he could piece together, had a sign over it. It was blank, just a plank of wood that swung feebly on two small link chains. But that was all he could remember of it. There had to be more though. He tried forcing his memory bank open; pillaging it like a thief would in search for that rare red diamond. The door was…metal, yes, metal. He had once thrown a drunken idiot that had tried to cheat him out of some money against it. It had cracked the man's skull open and Frau was scolded for causing such a mess outside of the Kafé doors. He had to do a month's free labor in reimbursement. And, he remembered, the man had left a small dent in the steel door, and, since his time there, had never been replaced.

And just like that, with just a small crack in the dam, everything began to spill out. The door was small, smaller than Frau anyways. He had always hit his head when entering because he would forget that some idiot couldn't build a doorway for the average sized Wonderlander. Then there was that weird sticker someone had placed on the top left corner: it looked like a dog trying to lick itself but everyone seemed to think different things of it.

Taking a sharp turn, Frau dashed down the vacant street, eyes searching for that small metal door. But all sorts of doors lined the stone buildings, and none of them seemed to spark his suspicion. There were wooden doors, stone doors, glass doors and metal doors coming in an array of sizes, colors and styles but none that matched his mental description. The precise location of the Kafé was hopelessly lost in his clutter of memory; the buildings around it seemed too identical and undistinguishable.

He tried desperately to scavenge his mind for more information. There had to be some sort of landmark for the place. Frau was finding it difficult to believe that he was able to memorize its location. Especially when he was usually drunk by the time he go there.

Then the dim chime of bells echoed through the empty streets.

"Bell tower," was all Frau said before his body seemed to remember the direction of the café. His feet had grown a mind of their own, going down streets and alleyways that Frau would have never thought of taking. It almost seemed as if he was running around in circles, but, soon, the tall ivory bell tower stood before them, towering over everything else.

And just a street away was the hanging sign of the KatHouse Kafé.

"Told ya I'll find it!" Frau smirked, his anxiety dwindling into nothing.

Once reaching the place, he abandoned the boy's hand and regarded the door in front. Metal, check. Smaller than average, check. Dent where Frau had roughly threw a man, check. Weird sticker of a dog licking himself, check. Without bothering to knock first, Frau attempted to open the door but found it locked. He rattled the knob, wondering when they decided to keep the stupid place closed. He could not recall the door even _having _a lock. It was always open. Twenty-four seven. Thinking that the door might be stuck, Frau tried to force it open but the metal knob held fast, his gloved hand slipping from its grip. He pounded on the door, a frown shadowing his former calm. Something wasn't right… Frau's anxiety was coming back.

Throwing a kick to the steel door, Hatter's eyes darted up and down the street, worried that something might hear the ruckus he was creating. The flare of the red spotlight was nowhere to be seen, but with the labyrinth of streets connecting and curving all around the city, the light could emerge at any moment. It was obvious that Frau and Teito weren't suppose to be roaming the deserted streets, and he really didn't want to find out first hand what they did to people that broke their strict rules.

Teito kept lookout while Frau continued to bang on the door when there was no sign of anyone coming to open it. The teen felt oddly on edge, nervous as he shifted from leaning his weight on one leg to the other.

"Are you sure this is the place?" He asked over his shoulder, eyes kept open for that pool of light.

"Shit, it has to be. It has to be here. Fuck," he threw his fists onto the door, wincing at the pain.

A growl slowly turned into an exhausted groan, forehead slamming onto the metal. He continued with the act until the teen behind him whispered his name in a worried, questioning tone.

The boy had too much trust riding on him. Frau didn't know everything about everything. Instinct had gotten him this far. But up to this point, he was depending on others for information. Information that could help him keep on path.

He wasn't an all-knowing being like the stupid blue caterpillar. All he had was connections: people who knew other people. And he had spent his recent years hidden away in the Everlasting Forest with Castor; who knew if his contacts were even alive. He did not keep in touch with anyone outside the forest, outside his white picket-fence. There was no need to. Those people weren't very well friends but passing acquaintances. People he used when he needed something.

Frau had everything he wanted on that small plot of land. Unlimited supply of food, pleasant weather conditions, and complete isolation from the rest of Wonderland. There was no talk of the downward spiral of Wonderland's economy, no talk of governmental conspiracy or organized crime, no talk of who they used to be – because both males had pasts that were better left forgotten – it was all pleasantries and arguments done in good humor.

Frau wanted to go back to that. To ditch the boy and go back to his quiet life in the forest. He didn't need to protect anyone in that forest – well _maybe_ Capella but there was hardly any serious threat in their forest the boy couldn't handle on his own. He didn't need to keep appearances because the stupid wild rabbit, the teacup mermaid and the boy didn't care to begin with. Frau didn't need to prove his worth, he didn't need to do anything.

But one stupid human boy stumbles upon their Tea Party and all hell needed to break loose. He still didn't even understand what Castor or Labrador had meant when it was "his role" to help the brunet. Last time he checked, a Hatter's role did not involve _aiding_ an Outsider. He only played along because he thought it would be fun.

No, that was a lie. Because he really wanted to help. The boy had looked so desperate and afraid. His "maternal" instincts had turned on. And all because he had seen the stupid teen's smiling face when he was eating that stupid éclair. He was an innocent child dragged into unreasonable circumstances. And all Teito wanted was to go home.

How difficult could that one wish be to grant?

Too difficult, in Frau's mind.

He wanted to give up.

But as the door he was leaning against swung inward, catching him completely by surprise, Frau was not given that alternative.

Staring up at him with eyes a violent shade of wine was a teen in his late years. His long, sleek blond hair was pulled together by a metal band though stray strands still found a way to cascade over his forehead and slightly over his eyes. Half-hidden animal ears protruded from his blond hair, the fur being of the same pale color though the tips were inked black. Three silver rings pierced his left animal ear, while on the other only a single ring. His frame was hidden slightly by the baggy, sleeveless turtleneck he wore, his upper arms exposed to show his medium built while his lower arms were covered with fingerless gloves that stretched up to his elbows. Ash-grey slacks fit loosely on his hips, held in place by iron chains. He sported knee-high deep gray boots and an equal color collar over his loose fitting turtleneck.

With a tilt of the head, the stranger regarded both males before pinning his sights on the brunet. A smirk curled his lip, and exposed his animalistic fangs.

"Will you lookie here, how cute," he spoke with a purr, his pupils stretching into fine diamonds, "I've always wanted a fun-sized Hatter."

* * *

**A/N: …why does that sound like the beginning of a dirty joke? Anyway~ so, this isn't a "dramatic" cliffhanger but, I mean, COME ON! Hakuren has animal ears! :D Am I the only one excited about that? I kinda want to make him a fox, rather than a cat, since he seems more of a foxy character. What do you guys think?**


	9. Trade

**Chapter Nine**

**Trade

* * *

**

"He's not for sale, Cat," came Frau's immediate reply as he stepped protectively in front of the brunet, shielding him from those mischievous violet eyes. With an arm wrapped around his aching abdomen, he did his best to gather his wandering mind to think of the reason why _he _was answering the door instead of Kat, but finding that it was growing difficult to keep his attention on a single thought, Frau finally asked the question: "What are you _doing_ here?"

"Rather stupid question to ask, isn't it?" The blond raised a clawed hand to pinch the thin skin of his furred ear between two fingers.

"What happe-?"

"Assassinated," the blond teen interrupted skillfully, throwing the word simply and easily as if it belonged in everyday conversation. Finally lowering his hand, he crossed his arms across his chest, eyes straying away from the two asking entrance into his abode. "I was asked to take his place. But enough about me," he grinned, "I heard about your little skirmish in the Mushroom Forest. I am curious though" violet eyes caught onto blue "on how you got out."

"Let us in and I'll tell you," Frau reluctantly replied.

"Hardly seems like a fair trade; you still owe me from last time."

"H-Hakuren," Frau sighed as he watched the teen so very nonchalantly inspect his knife-like claws. "What the _hell_ do you want from me?"

"A favor, whatever and whenever I so wish to redeem it," the humanoid cat grinned.

Frau gave a single forced exhale, his entire body shuddering before he dropped on one knee, unable to bear the burning pain throbbing in his wounds. His breathing turned heavy and forced, his vision spotting and blurring at the edges. Hatter shook his head, trying to regain some control but that only caused his mind to unbalance and hit him with a faint wave of nausea.

Finally coming out of his hiding place, Teito grabbed onto Frau's coat, shaking the man in a feeble attempt to gain his attention. The man's face was sickly pale; sweat causing his fair hair to paste itself along his forehead.

"I will take that as a yes. Help me get him inside," Hakuren rushed towards Frau, linking an arm over his shoulder and signaled Teito to do the same. With a forceful shove of his shoulder, the blond teen opened the metal door to his café and hurried his two patrons inside.

"There is someone here waiting for him," the teen hissed, baring his fangs once the door closed behind them, engulfing them in complete darkness.

Teito's eyes wandered around uselessly, trying to catch sight of soft noises that seemed to creep all around, like animals hiding within the cover of trees in a forest. He stumbled more often than not, Frau's bulk leaning on him heavily even if the man tried to force his weak legs to walk on their own.

Narrowing his eyes, Teito finally caught sight of a warm, soft glowing light emerging from the corridor's end. But instead of heading towards it, the arm draped across his shoulder tugged him towards the darkness. What he had assumed was nothing but wall held a dark corridor leading to a flight of stairs. Hakuren hissed at the staggering brunet at every step, and Teito certainly didn't take it lying down. He was blamed for not having proper night-vision, and Teito retaliated with the fact that he wasn't a stupid cat.

"W-will the both of you just _shut-up_!" Frau growled, annoyed with their banter. It was stupid, pointless and not even creative. Even with his wandering mind, the blond could tell as much.

Seeming to put aside their differences for this single cause, Teito and Hakuren continued their ascended to what Teito hoped to be a safe haven for the injured Hatter.

Their progress was tiresome, but once they reached that last step, Teito released a sigh of relief, his muscles shivering with exhaustion. A small hallway awaited them, but instead of going deeper into the building, the blond teen threw a kick at the door directly in front.

A few moments later, the humanoid cat was growling _not_ to the man opening the door but to the man that could be seen lounging rather nonchalantly on a plush sofa from across the way.

"You had no right to enter my home!" Hakuren hissed, his pupils stretched into slits. "I do not care who you claim to be but no one enters my home unannounced!"

Stalking off into the room, Teito was left to struggle with Frau's dead weight alone but soon it eased. He directed his attention to the man helping him, raising eyebrows in surprise as the man gave him a lopsided smile.

"Castor-san?" He asked, surprise clear in his voice.

"It seems we've reunited at a much earlier time than I anticipated," the Hare admitted, looking a bit sheepish as he half-dragged Frau into the room with Teito following behind.

"But I don't understand," Teito began but stopped himself from continuing, attention caught on the distraught blond teen before him. Hakuren's blond ears were pressed defensively against his head, slim tail darting feverishly at every which way, slightly prickled. He seemed to be having difficulty keeping his hands from clenching, probably to preventing self-injury with those sharp claws.

The man on the couch gave a lazy sigh, bringing the pipe he was holding so delicately between two fingers up to his lips. After a long inhale, the smoke he released was a startling green, forming into a butterfly that momentarily caught the blond teen's attention before he seemed to realize that he was suppose to be furious at the intruder.

"I do very much apologize for that," the man smiled sweetly, "but I was needed, so I came."

"Who claimed that you were needed?" the blond hissed.

Raising a slim finger, Hakuren followed its direction to the blond man currently holding onto the tall russet as if he was the only thing keeping him alive.

With a growl in his throat, the blond cat turned his attention back, eyes narrowing upon seeing the man sitting up. The motion was so fluid and graceful that it made the delicate dance of a butterfly appear like the darting of an intoxicated fly. The man ran a pale hand through his oddly blue-tinted hair, and once he completed the task he placed it lazily over the headrest of the couch, his smile kind and gentle and not at all condescending. However, Teito bet the loose change in his pocket that the blond cat did not perceive it in that manner.

"If my presence is still unwanted," the Blue Caterpillar tilted his head off to one side, "then I suppose I must take my leave. But not all Kor contain the same poison, nor do people respond to them equally. I have his antidote, but it shall leave with me if you so wish it, _Cheshire Cat_."

"I'll fucking show you to-!" Frau growled before Hakuren could respond, pushing himself away from Castor and towards Labrador only to stumble to a knee. He quickly composed himself, and sluggishly advanced towards the Oracle. "-To keep shit from me! I'll force it out of your cold, dead hands!"

"Of course you can," Labrador smiled as a mother would to a whining child, almost saying that 'Yes, you can do anything if you _believe'_.

That only caused Frau's anger to double, and when he seemed ready to throw himself onto the thinly clothed man, a hand caught his arm, holding him back without much struggle.

"Hakuren-kun," Castor pushed his slipping glasses up along the bridge of his nose with his free hand, suppressing the sigh he wanted to release when sapphire eyes turned to glare at him. "I _sincerely _apologize on behalf of Labrador and myself. We would never intrude if it wasn't an emergency, and certainly you can see that Hatter requires this if he so wishes to go another day without a visit to the Clock Keeper."

Biting his lip, Hakuren unwavering glare was kept on the blue-haired Oracle, loathing the innocent smile he tried to portray. With a sigh, he reluctantly agreed. "But I believe this means you are indebt to me."

Teito raised an eyebrow at the conversation being exchange amongst the strangers, understanding _none _of it and faintly wondered if someone would explain to him what everything meant. However, with Frau staggering away, Castor was the only person Teito could ask. He turned to question March but found the man already directing a silent request to save his questions for later: a finger on lips. He pinched the fabric of Teito's coat and directed the teen away from the center of the room and onto the wall, a small distance away from the rest of the group. Teito could only imagine that another outburst (most likely from the cat's part) was going to resurface.

"That debt was paid," Labrador replied matter-of-factly, mild confusion clouding his eyes.

"When?" The teen snapped, unawares of the prowling Hatter at his side.

"Just now," Labrador raised his slim pipe as a gloved hand snatched it away from him. Frau collapsed at his side, leaning his weight onto the smaller male as he dragged a long, deep breath from the pipe.

Labrador smiled as he directed Frau's head onto his lap, running his fingers through matted blond hair. Frau seemed oblivious to the intimate touch and the rest of the world in a matter of seconds, eyes glazed and a smile of pure bliss stretching his lips. He hung his booted feet over the edge of the sofa, arm draped lazily across his chest whilst the other brought the pipe back up to his lips.

"Are you saying that-?"

"Yes, I am," the man interrupted Hakuren, already knowing what the teen would say. "In exchange for not throwing me out onto the street, Frau receives the medicine that you could not provide. Debt covered, I do believe," he smiled.

"Say," Labrador began again, interrupting Hakuren's thought that would soon turn into a voiced outburst, "would you be a dear and bring some sweets? I would greatly appreciate it."

With a snarl, the cat whipped around, claws at the ready, as he swiped at the air not to far from where Teito would be standing if Castor had not moved him. The brunet faintly wondered in the Hare knew of the danger he would have been in had he remained in that spot, but he was not given more time to think it over.

"Teito-kun, could you possibly go with him and make sure he doesn't poison my food?"

The teen turned to Labrador, pointed to himself, and once the Blue Caterpillar nodded in the affirmative, he shrugged simply and briskly followed after that blond tail that disappeared down the stairs.

With a hand to the wall, Teito walked towards the soft burning glow at the end of the hall. Noise finally began pooling around his feet: familiar but depressing. He could hear people mumbling, the faint _clink_ing of glass, of chair legs scraping along hard ground.

He watched Hakuren's framed silhouette in the door as the blond pushed away the dark slab of wood. Not wanting to enter, what he was beginning to realize, a tavern alone, Teito raced the last few steps that separated them and reached out to grasp the teen's shirt. Instead, if the fur and the hiss coming from Hakuren were any indications, he had grasped (tightly) onto his slim blond tail. Angered violet eyes turned to him, an animalistic growl rumbling in the cat's throat.

Teito quickly released the tail, hands raised in the defensive. With one final look of distain, Hakuren marched forward, eyes kept forward with Teito following closely behind.

Circular tables littered the bottom floor of the old-fashioned tavern; gruff-looking men occupied those tables, some huddled close together, others obviously keeping to themselves. From the low ceiling that indicated a second floor, dull smoking yellow lanterns hung feebly, swinging with the vibrations of multiple footsteps above. Practically in the center of it all was a simple bar, displaying the different empty bottles of alcohol they probably had hidden elsewhere along shelves.

The brunet felt aware of multiple eyes watching him as he followed Hakuren to the bar, but whenever he discreetly turned to catch anyone in the act, the men clad in leather and patched cotton-shirts and jeans appeared to be preoccupied with their own woes than to bother with a teenage boy. Teito pulled his coat closer together, fighting the urge to brush fingers against the cravat obscuring the metal collar around his neck.

As Hakuren made his way around the bar's counter, Teito took one of the many empty seats stationed around it. His eyes glanced at the oddly shaped and colored bottles, uncertain of how to pronounce some of the names scribbled on their labels. Most of the lettering looked like random scribbles and dingbats.

"I'm not going to poison his food," the blond spoke as he fished around for four clean cups, placing them in a single row and proceeding to fill them at different levels with different kinds of liquid. Some smelt strong and clogged Teito's sinuses while others smelled like sour apples and intrigued his curiosity.

"Well," Teito replied, not knowing if he should, "Labrador asked so I assumed he had some business with Frau and wanted me out of the room."

"How do you know these people?" Hakuren questioned after a moment of scrutinizing the teen, acute amethyst eyes examining every detail. Not that he was about to indicate some of the oddities on the brunet, _yet_.

The question seemed harmless enough on its own, but as Teito ran the answer though his mind, he was reminded that he was an Outsider, one not welcomed in Wonderland. Frau might trust this place but Teito also remembered how surprised the man was to find the blond teen answering the door. So the logical part of his mind (or Mikhail, who knew) told him to be weary of all strangers from this point onward, especially cats. Cats wanted to take him to Verloren, the evil Clock Keeper.

It sounded oddly silly but judging by the violet glare across the bar counter, the probability of that happening seemed high and, quite frankly, terrifying.

"Sorry," Teito pursed his lips together. "What was the question again?"

Mindful of the drinks, sturdy claws reached across the counter and ripped through fabric before the humanoid cat was satisfied that he ruined Teito's outfit enough to haul the tiny body across the simple slab of wood and deposited him on the floor beside his feet. He squatted beside him, at level with emerald eyes before asking, in a harsh whisper: "Are you really his apprentice?"

"Whose?" Teito stupidly asked. He earned a swift scratch along his cheek for his efforts.

Before he could retaliate against it, a sharp nail pressed against his lip, threatening to push down further and create a small hole. Teito kept silent.

"Frau Hatter. Who else?" Hakuren hissed the obvious as he drew back his hand. He used a single claw to comb through his ponytail as he looked to the liquor hiding underneath the bar counter, contemplating an idea before he turned back to the brunet. "Why else would you have a hat?"

"Um, only Hatters are allowed to wear hats?" The idea that these people would follow such an impractical rule completely baffled Teito, and caused him to wonder if there was a clan of Sock People that held a monopoly of all the socks in Wonderland.

"Of course not, you twit," Hakuren rolled his eyes. "But that's an authentic Hatter hat – impossible to reproduce. And I mean _impossible_. Either Hatter made it for you, which is unlikely on so many levels, or you made it yourself meaning that Hatter has finally taken up an heir… You're not his bastard son that has been chained up in a cellar for all these years, are you?"

"What?"

"_Shhhhhh!_," the cat hissed, ignoring the offended look on Teito's face. "Then what are you to him, _mrew_?"

"Um," Teito held back a chuckle at the odd noise the blond cat made though no longer had to depend on his willpower to keep himself from doing such an act if Hakuren's sharp glare had anything to say about it.

"I to him?" Teito thought about the question. What could he really say without giving anything away? Then, just so simply he assumed it had been Mikhail's idea originally, Teito opened his mouth and the words just came out. "What are you willing to give up for that piece of information?"

Hakuren bit back a hiss, regained his composure quite easily and regarded the brunet again with those detail-dissecting eyes. A shadow of a smirk pulled at the corner of his pale lips elegantly.

"Care for a sandwich?"

Teito raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't seem like a fair trade." But his stomach begged to differ.

The blond pulled a plate from a neatly piled stack beside the liquor bottles, something Teito could have sworn were never there, and placed the plate into an odd-looking compact oven. He closed the little door, and easily pushed a button. The machine whirled for a moment before it gave a light _ding_. A moment later, Hakuren pulled out two elegantly cut sandwiches, piled high with meat, cheese, and the appropriate vegetables. He presented the tempting food to the younger teen but Teito wasn't biting the bait so easily.

"I'm not saying anything." Teito elaborated by figuratively zipping his lips.

Hakuren grinned lightly, exposing a sharp incisor. "Impossible to believe but I do give things away, free of charge, on occasions. Just take it. I won't charge you."

Hunger was making him light-headed, and with the prospect of food just within arms reach, instinct was beginning to voice its loud, and agonizingly annoying, opinion. With a sigh and a roll of the eyes, Teito took the plate and shoveled the simple meal into his mouth hungrily, not bothering to chew until he started choking. Hakuren presented him with a crystal clear liquid. Teito assumed it was water and guzzled it down greedily. It tasted like ice and diamonds, soothing and caressing his throat as it settled nicely in his stomach.

In the meantime, Hakuren set about preparing the sweets for his unwanted guests. Once the plates of desserts were finished, Teito finished his meal as well and fumbled with the plate at hand. The blond cat simply took it from his hands and smashed the thing onto the ground. It splintered and shattered and the tiny remaining pieces fought against each other to disappear down the gaps in the floorboards.

With a skill that no one should have (according to the teen accustomed to normalcy), Hakuren stacked trays precariously on one another and cradled the giant mess-waiting-to-happen with one arm before indicating to the teen with his free hand to move forward. Teito did as he was told though continued to steal glances behind him, asking every few moments if the blond needed assistance.

"I've more balance than you, I'm sure. I can handle it."

Teito frowned, certain that the stupid comment was referring to his stumbling up the stairs. How could that be _his _fault? He was carrying a very heavy man up stairs he couldn't very well see.

"So what should big bwother call you, hm?" Hakuren cooed, attempting at some sort of conversation with the boy to force the vicinity at large that the staring had to stop if they didn't want a tussle with the owner. "I can just as easily call you wonky, it suits you."

Teito made a noise. "My name is Teito, jerk. Teito Klein. And I'm probably just as old as you are."

"Highly doubt it, _mrew_" he replied but did not elaborate.

Teito raised an eyebrow. "And why not? You look just as old as me."

"I was one of the last few born before the Raggs War erupted and made birth impossible," he recited from some script he seemed to have memorized.

A tickle in the back of Teito's throat told him to refrain from opening his mouth to speak or otherwise. Though he walked in front of the blond, Teito could feel those attention-to-detail eyes waiting for him to screw up again. He cursed under his breath, realizing the finalization in the cat's voice when he spoke of being _one of the last-born_. Meaning: if Teito wasn't on that list, then he must have been born elsewhere. Meaning: he couldn't be a part of Wonderland. _Meaning: he was an unwanted Outsider._

Contemplating the idea of running for it and easily throwing it aside, Teito calmly opened the door for Hakuren and followed behind the teen into the dark hallway, watching those trays stacked with food and sweets and drinks sway unsteadily.

"So what should I call you?" Teito attempted at his own light conversation. "I think Kitty suits you well, no?"

"Call me that and I skin you alive."

"How about Señor Whiskers? Or," Teito did his best imitation of a 'cute' tone, "Fluffy?"

"Does big bwother Haku have to teach wittle Teito some manners?" Hakuren finished with a hiss, stealing a glance over his shoulder to glare. Not that Teito could see it anyways.

They argued the rest of the way, only giving up once they reached the second floor landing. Hakuren had been forced to act the adult and give Teito the win with a comeback as lame as "Nuh uh! You're stupid!"

Hakuren shoved his way into the room, not at all surprised to see his guests practically in the same positions he had left them. He easily slipped the plates neatly onto a nearby table, not a single tartcrumble and sugarlog out of place or a single drop spilled from the drinks he made.

"Hatter, you owe me for the food your pet ate," Hakuren called over his shoulder as he took one cup by the brim and the largest plate of sweets in the other and walked them over to the Blue Caterpillar. Though there was plenty of room to sprawl elsewhere, the two men seemed to be having their own petty fight as to who gets the sofa. Frau, it seemed, was winning since he was stationed on the inside while Labrador was struggling just to stay _on _the couch.

"Put it on my tab," Frau returned, not bothering to even lift his head or really put much thought as to what the demand implied. Teito, the pet in question, was completely ignored and left to fume over his embarrassment by himself.

Grudgingly, Labrador slipped away from the couch and seated himself on the ground, thanking Hakuren for the meal courteously enough before picking out his favorite sweets amongst the crowd on his plate. He liked the ones that looked like little worms with chocolate dots for eyes.

Ignoring the passing of alcohol and snacks, Castor turned to Teito and pointed to a neat little table and chair set by the farthest window from the door and asked Teito to join him. With a simple nod, the teen followed the taller russet and they sat, attentions immediately trailing to the drab world outside.

"So how are you fairing, Teito-kun?" Castor asked warmly, causing Teito to sigh. Everyone he met so far just seemed to be on some level of hostile, but the man before him seemed like the complete opposite. It was relaxing, for one thing, but confusing as well.

"Not too well," he admitted but quickly added, "But I suppose things could be worse."

"Things could _always _be worse. Let's thank the Chief of Heaven they are not," he commented conversationally just as Hakuren made his way to their table. He presented the remaining two cups and a plate of small pastries. The wild rabbit took one for good measure, and Teito followed his example.

They crunched softly before an oozing warm jelly melted and softened the middle, forcing Teito to suppress the need to stuff a dozen in his mouth. Instead, he reached out for the drink, curious as to what it was but watched as it furthered from his grasp. Castor presented it to Hakuren, replying that Teito was too young be drinking anything alcoholic. The humanoid cat simply shrugged, took the glass back and was forced to hand deliver it to Frau who would not have his debt increased_ "'cause the brat can't handle a little liquor."_

"How much longer do I have to travel with him?" Teito begged with his eyes to the (possibly only) sane person across from him.

Castor sighed, his odd rabbit ears falling to match his facial expression. But before he could speak, the Blue Caterpillar beat him to it, speaking around all the worms in his mouth. "You honestly don't want to know Teito-kun. It'll only make your future more bleak."

Teito raised an eyebrow. "I don't get it."

"He means that it's best not to think about it," Castor translated.

"Hey, can _I _ask a question?" Hakuren spoke after, turning his attention from the Oracle who was currently trying to break his record of fifty-seven choco-gwormmies fitting in his mouth to the Hare that really seemed uncomfortable just being in the room.

"Nuhff," Labrador protested around his fifty-two – make that forty-nine – half-chewed choco-gwormmies.

"Well, I'm going to ask it anyway," the cat replied, idiotically wasting time and giving the Blue Caterpillar the opportunity to swallow his sweets.

"Castor had a question for you, actually," Labrador smiled after he released a soft sigh of satisfaction. He patted his belly and mentally bid his choco-gwormmies a safe journey.

"I did not," Castor narrowed his sights on Labrador who was still rubbing his belly as if he was with child.

"Well, you wanted to," Labrador politely challenged.

"He's right, you did," Frau added his two cents, which certainly weren't asked for or wanted but he threw them in, just because he could.

"It doesn't matter," Castor sighed, wondering what the best plan of action would be to direct the conversation away from the same topic they discussed when the boys had left the room. "Besides, I have nothing of value to exchange for information."

The Hare had hoped this would end the discussion – the Cheshire Cat was infamously known for never engaging in a trade without some sort of collateral. But his wishes were shattered when Labrador opened his mouth and replied: "I will place one favor in exchange for Castor's much needed information. Should be _more _than enough."

"I'm actually curious myself," Frau finally sat up, no longer appearing the picture of near-death. His skin had colored considerably, and the torn clothing that could be seen beneath his opened leather jacket no longer poorly hid vicious wounds. His eyes held brighter shine, and, dare any one think it, the bear-of-a-man seemed rather _perky_.

"Then why don't you give something up instead, Hatter? Hakuren looks far too pleased," Castor directed the attention of the room to the thrilled cat: eyes sparkling with mischievous want as his tail twitched with no real sense of direction.

"What? No!" The two blonds replied at the same time, each for their own reasons.

"What would be a fair trade for information?" Teito innocently asked the room at large, not really expecting an answer but received one from the person that sold it like commodities.

"It depends on the impact the information will have on the receiver and, on rare cases, the community at large," Hakuren explained as he leaned against the table he had previously used to set his patrons' food. "For example: a man has asked information about the whereabouts of his wife. If it turns out the wife is merely spending too much time admiring the latest clothing in the shop windows, the information sells cheaply. But if she had been found sleeping with his brother, the information would sell higher."

"Wouldn't this hypothetical man just know it's something bad if the information is being sold at a higher price and have no need to buy it at all?" Teito questioned, wondering if they could have really overlooked such an obvious flaw to their pricing.

"Well, yes, he _could _know. But the information doesn't necessarily have to be bad to sold at a high rate," the cat tapped his thin lips with his sharp claws. "She could have very well spent all her earnings to lavish him with gifts. Wouldn't you want to spend the money to know for certain?"

"And the moral of the story is," Frau interrupted, shrugging his shoulders gracefully, "you never settle down. I never have to deal with such stupid problems," he smirked.

"Yes, but I wager that those women you leave abandoned in the Everlasting Forest hunt down Hakuren for information on _your _whereabouts," Labrador smiled as if he didn't already know he was correct.

"Actually," Hakuren dropped a fist into his open palm, the thought just appearing now as the conversation strayed, "After the sixth girl, I raised the price. You're turning into a very expensive man, Hatter. The last woman that hired me gave me half of her belongings and years twenty-six through thirty-nine. Did she ever find you?"

Frau shrugged his shoulders, "Probably got lost in the forest or something."

"Poor girl," Hakuren shook his head. "Oh well, my information was good. I can't be blamed for her incompetence."

"I can't believe this is how you conduct business!" Teito voiced his disgust, uncertain if those 'years' Hakuren had mentioned actually meant slave labor but it was appalling none-the-less.

"Okay, honestly, does the kid live under a rock or something?" Hakuren turned his sights to the older blond who simply grinned that disarming and charming grin of his.

"He's from the Colonies."

"Oh," the blond cat observed Teito once more with a critical eye before nodding, "that makes a lot more sense than my original idea."

Before Teito could dispute, Labrador sighed dramatically and made a show of rearranging the furniture by his feet. He pushed away the small coffee table and the two reclining chairs facing it. After stealing one of the violet pillows Frau was leaning against, he dropped the object onto the ground, and moved it an inch to the right with his foot. Once satisfied with his preparations, he took a seat on one of the recliners. Tucking his legs under him, he smiled contently to the rest of the room who had watched the entire spectacle with different levels of confusion.

Teito shook his head, dispelling the oddness that was the Blue Caterpillar, and set his glare on the blond teen. "And what's that suppose to mean?"

"Is this level of speech too difficult for your wittle mind to comprehend?"

"Fuck off!" Teito stood, slamming his hands onto the table as he continued his steady glare on the pompous yellow cat, "I don't know who you think I am-."

"You're no one, point and final," Hakuren hissed, crossing the small length of the room in simple strides and stop just inches away from the smaller male. "If these damn rags have anything to say about it," he hooked a claw in the tattered remains of Teito's shirt collar.

"You're the one that ruined my coat, Fluffy," Teito shoved the taller teen away.

Too quickly for the only human in the room to follow, sharp nails ripped open the remnants of his white shirt and traced nasty red lines across his chest. Teito hissed along with the cat. He placed a hand over the burning on his chest, wincing as it stung on contact. With his free hand fisted and ready to attack, the teen was forced to stop and rethink his need for a violent outburst.

Hakuren was hunched low, aiming upward as if prepared to attack Teito's throat. His ears were pressed against his head, twitching with every little noise in the room. But those violet eyes were not glaring directly at the brunet, instead to the hand on his chest.

Fearing that the tie had been ripped and his collar exposed, Teito took his time to look down on himself and the smear of blood across his lightly tanned skin. The tie was still in place but beneath the color of red was black. Something Teito could not recall ever being there. He pushed the blood away with his hand and was more than surprised to find an odd mark there. It was black and shaped like a strange blooming flower with a faint brown outline as if it was burned into his flesh.

"Marked," Hakuren whispered far too quietly to be heard correctly. There was rustling about, people shifting uncomfortably or preparing to take action. "He's Marked and you brought him here!"

The Cheshire Cat hissed, baring fangs towards Hatter who was carefully rising from his seat on the couch. The man held up his hands and took a cautious step forward, startling the blond teen beyond reason. The boy jumped, tail pricking and pupils stretched into fine diamonds.

"Look, whatever this is we can fix it," Frau spoke soothingly as best he could but his words simply did not reach the apprehensive teen.

"He'll have my head! If He finds out I'm housing a _fugitive_-." Hakuren paused, eyes narrowing onto the fugitive in question.

With a growl in his throat, the cat threw himself forward and onto the smaller male. Pinning Teito between himself and the table, he prepared to rip off the red cravat but a hand clamped down on his wrist to prevent the action, Castor's startled tone telling him to cease his actions.

It, however, was a second too late.

The remains of Teito's cravat hung loosely in Hakuren's clawed hand, slipping between his fingers and falling elegantly onto the floor. The two teens stared at one another in disbelief for what seemed like centuries before Hakuren composed himself and swatted away Hatter's hat from atop the boy's brown hair.

Stealing his hand back from Castor, the blond teen backed away slowly, fear contorting his features. "Y-you're…you're human," he laughed wryly, his lips pulling up into a worried sort of grin. "I _was _right. Y-you're an Outsider… and C-Collared and…Marked?"

The cat swayed precariously, and before anyone could reach out and steady him, he crumpled to the floor, his head crashing to the ground beside the violet pillow. The room remained silent, eyes kept on the fainted teen. Once the silence grew too uncomfortable for the room, someone finally broke it.

"Oh," Labrador voiced his surprise, "I guess it was to the _left _that I should have moved the pillow."

The Hare and the Outsider glared at the Oracle for the comment, the Hatter simply bit back a chuckle.

x-o-x

"So what do we do with him?"

Teito was the one who asked seeing that no one was bothering with it. He honestly believed that it was only worrying him that his secret was exposed.

"He's too important to ditch in the forest somewhere," Frau observed, "Someone'll realize he's gone before we get a chance to properly dispose of him."

"How can you speak so crudely of someone who's right in front of you," Castor scolded.

"He's passed out!" Frau defended himself, indicating to the cat currently lying on the couch.

"Just erase his memory," Castor sighed as he reseated himself and guzzled down the drink the teen had previously brought him.

"He can actually be of some use to you, Frau," Labrador spoke from his spot on the recliner. "He's a professional Information Merchant with a Neutral Pass. I'm sure his price will be risky but his usefulness should outweigh it."

"What's a Neutral Pass?" Teito turned to the room once he finished placing a damp towel on Hakuren's forehead.

"It means he can go wherever he wants to without violating the treaty," Frau responded helpfully.

"There's places you can't go to?" Teito continued to question.

Noticing Frau struggling with a reply, Castor interjected. "In your world, Teito-kun, I believe you need a passport to travel between countries, yes?" Teito nodded. "Well, in Wonderland, our passports, a Neutral Pass, cannot be given to just anyone. Very, _very _selected few receive one. I have one, Hakuren as well, and Frau," he gestured to the two blonds. "I have one because I claimed my independency from Wonderland's two kings long ago. I'm not certain how Hakuren came about one. And Frau because of his family, the Hatters."

"The Barsburg War?" Teito was reminded of something Mikhail said. "The two kings you're talking about are the ones that fought in the Barsburg War?"

"Yeah." It was Frau again. "The Red King and the White King. They signed a treaty some time back. The two sides are not allowed in each other's territories or be killed on sight for violation of it. How'd you know about the war?"

Teito helpfully shrugged his shoulders. "I know people."

"I know more people than you, however," Hakuren mumbled, startling the brunet beside him. Grudgingly, the cat sat up, placing a hand over the towel to keep it in place. "You people speak so _loudly_," he commented as he swung his legs to hang them over the couch so he could rest his back and throbbing head against the backrest.

"So what do you say, Cheshire?" Labrador smiled though was mildly disappointed it went unnoticed, instead he continued, "Will you help young Teito-kun in his quest?"

"To find the seven ghosts? _Ha_," he laughed dryly. "I'm not even sure they're real."

"Just because you know nothing of them, does not mean they don't exist," Labrador smiled once Hakuren looked from underneath his little white towel. "Consider the Doppelgangers."

"You can _see _those," Hakuren challenged before turning away. "Besides, I can't just _leave_."

"Why not?" Frau asked as he sat on the vacant couch seat.

"Do _you _live under a rock?" Cheshire looked from under the towel to the sapphire eyes watching him. "Don't you remember what this town used to look like? I know you used to be a regular here at the Café, Hatter."

"Koi Fields."

The room turned to the lone figure huddled in a corner by the windows overlooking the streets of Incarceration. Castor gave a faint sigh as he set his glass back on the table, reflexively playing with the moisture clinging to the outside of the cup.

"I don't recall _you _setting foot within Incarceration besides today, March Hare," Hakuren leaned forward and took in the wild rabbit with a critical eye.

Very calmly, the Hare reached into his coat and pulled out a wooden-handle pistol. The item appeared simple enough except for the intricate pattern of thorns and roses carved into the weapon's tarnished silver barrel.

Taking it by the barrel, Castor threw the antique towards the seated Cat. Frau was the one to catch it, inspecting it before turning to the Hare. "You sure about this?" he asked, knowing that two other people in the room understood the vague question but only one understood the seriousness of the trinket.

"You can't tell me," Castor turned to stare at the world outside. "Labrador knows nothing about it. _Someone _needs to tell me."

Hakuren stole the pistol away from Hatter and inspected it himself with Teito looking over his shoulder. The brunet questioned the item. The blond gave a simple shrug. "I've never seen anything like this," he admitted to Teito before turning to Castor, "What is this?"

"The Hausen Heirloom," Labrador was the one who replied, attentively brushing slim fingers across his lips, "Also known as the Rosen Cross: the item responsible for the near extinction of an entire race except for one lone survivor."

"What race?" Teito was almost too afraid to ask but found the courage to do so somewhere.

"A species of water people," Labrador refrained from elaborating, already knowing that one little mind had fit the puzzle together.

"…Razette?"

Castor smiled his smile, the one that put flustered spirit maers and raging twin-tailed wolfen at peace. Though now it seemed too forced and faked to soothe.

"…Yes, Razette."

* * *

**A/N: I swear, these characters write themselves :)**


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